The Request

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is requesting consultant services to prepare a greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventory for the Lake Tahoe Basin. This includes data collection, calculation of past emissions, projections for future emissions, calculation of carbon sequestration of Tahoe's natural landscape, and stakeholder engagement.

Background/Project Description

A regional GHG inventory for the Lake Tahoe Region was originally completed in 2013. This inventory established a baseline for regional GHG emissions (2005 and 2010) and developed future year projections (2020 and 2035). The inventory revealed that 75 percent of the Region's emissions consist of energy consumption, transportation, and fuel consumption.

The inventory served as the basis for development of the Lake Tahoe Sustainable Communities Program and Sustainability Action Plan in 2014. This plan established a GHG emission reduction target of 15 percent by 2020 and 49 percent below the 2005 baseline by 2035. The baseline was established as an average of 2005 and 2010 emissions.

Today, the State of California mandates (SB32) a reduction in statewide emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. Governor Brown further called for carbon neutrality by 2045 through Executive Order B-55-18. California Senate Bill 375 mandates an eight percent reduction in transportation related greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and an additional five percent by 2035. The transportation emission reductions goals live within the Lake Tahoe Regional Transportation Plan and serve as an input to this grant application. Locally, the City of South Lake Tahoe is committed to a 50 percent reduction in emissions by 2030 and 80 percent by 2040.

In Nevada, Governor Steve Sisolak signed Executive Order 2019-22 directing his administration to collaborate with public, private, and tribal partners to help implement and accelerate cutting-edge solutions to advance the State of Nevada's ambitious climate goals. This includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025 and 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. Additionally, the State of Nevada will be creating annual GHG inventory emission reports and develop a Climate Action Scenario. A regional inventory will support Nevada's climate goals and align Tahoe Basin climate actions and goals with California climate strategy.

Since the original GHG emission inventory was completed in 2013, considerable progress has been made toward emission reduction goals. To better understand the progress made and identify future reduction strategies, an updated and expanded inventory is needed, as outlined in the full RFP https://www.trpa.org/document/rfps/ This updated inventory will be utilized in several ways. First, it will provide a snapshot of our current emissions and any changes since the last emission inventory. Second, it will be used as a tool to prioritize climate mitigation actions to address the largest sources of emissions in the Basin. This review of actions and prioritization could take the form of an updated Lake Tahoe Sustainability Action Plan. Finally, the inventory will be used as communication tool for the public, agency partners, funders, and elected representatives to tell the story of climate action in the Tahoe Basin.

A qualified consultant (or team of consultants) should have the technical expertise to produce a high-quality document that meets international standards for greenhouse gas inventory reporting. The team should also be effective at communicating complex science to the public.

Funding for this project was granted to the TRPA from the California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC). All consultant activity and billing must adhere to the CTC grant policies and reporting requirements. See below in this RFP for specific requirements.