Subject
title
Presentation on Climate Action Plan and Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan Annual Report
end
Department
PW - Environmental Management
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Mayor and Council receive the presentation on the Climate Action Plan/EV Readiness Plan 2025 Annual Report (Attachment 1).
Discussion
This is the fourth annual report for the Mayor and Council following the adoption of the Climate Action Plan (CAP) on January 10, 2022, and the first annual report following the adoption of the Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan (EVRP) on March 24, 2025. The reporting process is integrated due to shared goals and initiatives.
The annual report fulfills CAP Action C-26 and EVRP Action 4.2.1 to track and report progress to foster public transparency and accountability. The 2025 annual report provides detailed action-level summaries of progress for calendar year 2025, including potential issues, next steps, equity considerations, grants, and performance metrics, when available. The report is presented on two platforms to improve public access:
• Written reports that summarizes 2025 accomplishments and action status updates (Attachment 2- CAP and Attachment 3-EVRP).
• Online dashboards posted on the “Results Rockville” framework to communicate performance, accountability, transparency, and strategic work. The dashboards are updated annually to provide interactive and accessible content to the community to show the status and details of work in progress for each action in the plans.
o Climate Action Plan online dashboard (<https://performance.envisio.com/dashboard/rockvillemd3023>).
o EV Readiness Plan online dashboard (<https://performance.envisio.com/dashboard/rockvillemd4767>).
Background
The Mayor and Council adopted Rockville’s first Climate Action Plan (CAP) to chart a path to reduce greenhouse gases, build resiliency, and incorporate equity in public engagement and oversight. The CAP sets a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent (from 2005) by 2030 and approach carbon neutrality by 2050. Since the plan’s adoption, the Maryland General Assembly established a more ambitious goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent (from 2006) by 2031 and net zero by 2045.
Rockville's CAP comprises 42 current actions and 8 actions for future monitoring in categories involving energy efficiency, renewable energy, transportation, land use management, materials and waste management, resiliency, and public engagement and oversight. There are 16 municipal actions that involve carbon emissions and resiliency associated with municipal operations and services and 26 community actions that involve community carbon emissions and resiliency. One future monitoring action (FM-03 electric leaf blowers) is completed and is included in the CAP annual report, bringing total reporting actions to 43.
The CAP recommended the city develop an Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan (EVRP) as a key strategy to reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. The EVRP identifies a framework for how the city can collaborate with county, state and federal programs to accelerate EV adoption and meet the growing demand for charging infrastructure. Marking a significant milestone, the Mayor and Council adopted Rockville’s first Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan on March 24, 2025. The plan outlines 26 actions organized around four focus areas: 1) EV-ready codes, policies, and procedures; 2) a robust and equitable charging network; 3) a clean municipal fleet; and 4) inclusive public engagement and oversight.
Each plan depends on building and sustaining multi-level partnerships to drive transformational changes in the years ahead. Historically, the adoption of such plans positioned Rockville to leverage state and federal resources to advance key goals. Although federal funding opportunities were limited in 2025, the city continued to leverage funding and support from the state, utilities and a growing network of outside partners to move initiatives forward. The following summarizes progress made on both plans in 2025.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory
Rockville’s largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions are energy use from buildings and transportation. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) generates community greenhouse gas emissions inventories for 24 local governments. Due to the extensive data and resources required to create these inventories, MWCOG releases them approximately every three years. The most recent inventories, covering 2023 emissions, were released in 2025.
Between 2005 and 2023, Rockville reduced its net community greenhouse gas emissions by 34 percent, outpacing the overall Metropolitan Washington region, which achieved a 20 percent reduction over the same period. The largest contributors to emissions remain energy use in buildings and transportation. In 2023, Rockville’s per capita emissions averaged 10.1 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO₂e) per person, slightly below the regional average of 10.5 MTCO₂e per person.
Calculated separately by the city annually, greenhouse gas emissions from Rockville municipal operations represent approximately 1.1 percent of total community emissions, with the majority of municipal emissions (0.87%) generated from electricity and natural gas consumption and the remainder (0.23%) from fleet fuel consumption. Emissions associated with electricity and natural gas used by Rockville-owned and operated buildings, parks, streetlights, traffic lights, and utilities decreased by 13% between 2022 and 2025. This decline in emissions occurred despite post-pandemic growth in operations and the renovations and occupancy of the northern wing of the city's newest facility at Taft Center, a three-story office building of approximately 55,350 square feet. The City’s fleet electrification currently focuses on light-duty vehicles that are not utilized for police or snow/ice operations. As such, city data does not reflect a significant reduction in gasoline and diesel consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to fleet electrification rates, various factors influence total fleet fuel consumption, including the number of snow and ice events occurring per year, police vehicle miles traveled, and the use of diesel fuel consumption for heavy duty operations.
Status
In 2025, Rockville made significant progress across each plan toward the 2030 goals. The status categories were updated in the 2025 reporting period to better align with the FY 2026 budget performance measures. The categories now differentiate between actions that are projects with a definitive completion date (such as an ordinance update) and programs, where once established are institutionalized and anticipated to be implemented annually throughout the CAP’s 2030 reporting period (such as the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program, compost drop-off program, and CAP outreach and reporting initiatives). Table 1 summarizes the status for each plan to be compared with the FY 2026 budget performance measures summarized below:
• CAP FY 2026 budget performance measure: 45% of the CAP items to be completed or institutionalized. Currently 12% of the actions are completed and 44% of the actions are institutionalized, for a combination of 56% that exceeds the budget goal.
• EVRP FY 2026 budget performance measure: 15% of actions to be implemented. Currently 12% of the actions have been completed and 23% of the actions are institutionalized, for a combination of 35%. The Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR) is scheduled for adoption in July 2026, which will result in 15% items completed.
Table1: 2025 Plan Status
|
Category |
Description |
Climate Action Plan Status |
EV Readiness Plan Status |
|
● Completed |
Action is completed, no additional action required. |
12% (5 Actions) Includes 1 future monitoring action |
12% (3 Actions) |
|
● Institutionalized |
Action is an institutionalized program with annual implementation throughout the CAP 2030 reporting period. |
44% (19 Actions) |
23% (6 Actions) |
|
● In-Progress |
Action is initiated and expected to be completed/institutionalized by the CAP 2030 reporting period. |
42% (18 Actions) |
58% (15 Actions) |
|
● Upcoming |
Action is planned for upcoming implementation. |
2% (1 Action) |
8% (2 Actions) |
|
● Disruption |
Action has disruption that is preventing progress or causing a delay. |
0% (0 Actions) |
0% (0 Actions) |
Funding and Grants
The FY 2026 budget included more than $3.14 million for CAP initiatives, such as continued food waste composting program, facility energy audits and improvements, consultant support to develop a Green Space Management Plan, Lincoln Park Community Center solar rooftop, LED streetlight replacement, storm drain rehabilitation, stormwater management facility improvements, stream restoration, EV charging infrastructure, and the comprehensive stormwater incentive program that includes the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program, RainScapes Rebates, and competitive watershed grants. This figure does not include bicycle and pedestrian facility and safety projects.
FY 2026 grant and rebate awards for CAP related initiatives to date total more than $573,511 million to support LED streetlight conversations, facility energy retrofits, and EV charging stations. Transportation initiatives also support the goals of the CAP, but funding and grants are tracked separately through Vision Zero reporting.
The proposed FY 2027 budget continues to support ongoing CAP programs and includes a new Building Energy Performance Improvements (BEPI) Capital Improvement Program (CIP). The new BEPI CIP plans, designs, and implements building energy improvements at city facilities to support compliance with Montgomery County and Maryland Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) and implementation of the Climate Action Plan. The CIP involves energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements to maximize cost savings and emissions reductions at the city’s largest and most energy-intensive facilities, including City Hall, Swim & Fitness Center, Taft Center, F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, Recreation Services, Police Station, Water Treatment Plant, and the Rothgeb Maintenance Facility. The proposed FY 2027 appropriation of $1.54 million for the BEPI CIP includes the design and installation of a solar carport canopy at 6 Taft and the design of energy efficiency projects for BEPS compliance at City Hall and the Swim and Fitness Center. Grant funds from the Maryland Energy Administration, totaling $545,000, will help support the energy efficiency projects.
2025 Highlights
In the four years since the CAP was adopted, remarkable strides have been made to direct resources towards energy efficiency, clean energy, improved resiliency, and equitable outcomes. Numerous interdepartmental working groups collaborated to implement climate-related projects and programs. The city’s fiscally responsible approach to execute the CAP involved strategies to evaluate technology and markets conditions, leverage partnerships, and pursue grants and outside funding to expand programs to serve more residents and advance the climate initiatives. The following highlights key progress and metrics in each CAP category. The Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan (EVRP), adopted in 2025, is a key action within the CAP’s transportation category (C-11). Because several CAP transportation actions overlap with the EVRP, highlights of EVRP progress are included in the Transportation section below. Detailed information on each action is provided in separate annual reports for the CAP (Attachment 2) and the EVRP (Attachment 3).
Energy Efficiency
• Approximately 245 commercial and multifamily buildings in Rockville are subject to Montgomery County’s building energy benchmarking law and Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS). In 2025, the Montgomery County Green Bank facilitated financing for two commercial solar loans, 70 subsidies to assist commercial buildings with Building Energy Performance Station (BEPS) compliance, two energy audit subsidies, and two commercial resiliency loans. (C-01)
• 2025 was the first full year that the updated energy conservation building codes with advanced requirements took effect. The codes support EV charging, energy efficiency, grid interactivity, electrification, renewable energy and energy storage in new construction. Amendments to the green building regulations that include the 2021 International Green Construction Code (IgCC) and ICC 700 Green Building Standard were drafted in 2025 and adopted early 2026. (C-03)
• Approximately 2,223 homes participated in Pepco’s residential energy efficiency programs, about 400 more homes than last year. (C-05)
• Ten Rockville homes utilized Montgomery County’s home electrification incentive program, Electrify MC, to convert 17 appliances to electric from fossil fuels (e.g., cooking, hot water, heating, and cooling, etc.). (C-06)
• Rockville Housing Enterprises coordinated with Habitat for Humanity to provide energy efficient electric appliance upgrades for eight of their detached homes. (C-02)
• In partnership with the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) and Pepco, the city completed 1,022 Light Emitting Diode (LED) retrofits at Thomas Farm Community Center, Croydon Creek Nature Center, F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater, and Rothgeb Maintenance Facility leveraging $186,554 in outside funding. (M-01)
• Rockville converted 650 city-owned streetlights to energy efficient LED with help from MEA and Pepco funding. (M-02)
Renewable Energy
• The Environment Commission dedicated more than 36 hours over nine events to promote the Capital Area Solar Switch Together (formerly the solar co-op), resulting in 620 registrations from Rockville addresses. (C-09)
• The solar plan review and permitting processes were streamlined with the launch of the Solar APP+ automated permitting system. The city issued 150 solar system permits, bringing the cumulative total to 1,312. (C-09)
• The city issued a request for proposal for the design and installation of a rooftop solar installation on Lincoln Park Community Center gym, fully funded by the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant of approximately $109,900. Contract award has been made with installation by early summer 2026 (M-04)
Transportation
• Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan (EVRP) (C-11): Rockville’s first EVRP was adopted March 24, 2025, with 26 actions to support electric vehicles and charging through fleet conversion, code updates, outreach, grants, and partnerships. Since adoption, progress has been made on the following EVRP initiatives:
- The number of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles owned in Rockville zip codes quadrupled in four years to 7,266 and the number of EV charging ports available to the public increased from 264 to 326. (C-11)
- Rockville’s updated building codes required 2% EVSE-installed in most commercial property parking lots and 10% EVSE-installed in multi-unit properties. (C-12, EVRP 1.1.1)
- Updated the Forest and Tree Preservation Ordinance to streamline the process for EV charging stations on city property (Chapter 10.5) (EVRP 1.1.2)
- Approved Curbside Charging Agreement Template and developing guidelines to serve residents without access to garage, driveways or dedicated parking (EVRP 1.2.2)
- Coordinate with Montgomery County to expand public charging (EVRP 2.1.3)
- Leveraging Carbon Reduction Program funding to expand public chargers on City property (EVRP 2.1.5)
- Coordinate with Pepco to expand charging (EVRP 2.1.4)
- Transitioned city landscaping equipment (electric leaf blowers, batteries, charging stations and an electric charging landscape trailer) (EVRP 3.1.4)
- The city’s fleet added five more EVs from the previous year. The fleet now includes 25 battery electric vehicles (BEV), 2 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and 3 hybrid vehicles. (M-06, EVRP 3.1.1))
- The Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure CIP (GA23) installed six additional fleet charging ports at City Hall and one at the Police Station, bringing the total number to 12 installed and one portable. (M-07, EVRP 3.2.2))
- Leverage outside funding for fleet (Pepco rebates, MEA grants for electric Senior buses and charging stations (EVRP 3.2.2)
- Launched EV Readiness Plan online dashboard (EVRP 4.2.1)
• Rockville also supported safer non-motorized travel by constructing new traffic calming devices and crosswalks and installing 2,900 linear feet in five new sidewalk segments. (C-14)
Land Management
• Weed Warriors engaged 610 volunteers to remove 101 bags of non-native invasive plants from city parks. (C-17)
• The city achieved Community Wildlife Habitat Recertification through the National Wildlife Foundation that included nine homes newly certified as Wildlife Habitats. The city earned 83 recertification points, nearly triple the 30 points required. (C-17, C-24)
• The RainScapes Program issued $44,500 in rebates to support 29 tree canopies, rain barrel, conservation landscaping, and permeable pavement projects at 24 properties. (C-17, C-24)
• The city distributed 400 native trees at the annual Fall Tree Giveaway, 100 wildflower seeds at community events, and sold 915 native plants at the annual native plant sale at Croydon Creek Nature Center. (C-17, C-24)
• Three grants were awarded through the city’s partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Trust: Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake ($30,073) to expand their engagement of faith-based communities promoting sustainable practices; Izaak Walton League of America ($26,985) to continue Salt Watch citizen science program; University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center ($42,101) to support HOAs and civic associations to develop sustainability action plans. (C-17)
• The city purchased all new electric landscaping equipment, chargers, and an electric landscape trailer, and ensured contracts comply with Montgomery County legislation which banned the use of gas-powered leaf blowers as of July 1, 2025. (FM -03)
• Planted 859 trees and shrubs in the northern section of RedGate Park and Arboretum. Planted 298 trees along Rockville streets and 120 trees in other parks. (C-17, C-24)
Materials and Waste
• A fourth food scraps compost drop-off station opened at Potomac Woods Park. The stations collected a total of 242 tons of food scraps, more than double the previous year. (C-18)
• Sustained a household waste landfill diversion rate of 43 percent due to single stream recycling, yard waste and leaf collection composting, food scrap composting, electronics recycling, and bulk metal recycling. (C-19)
• Adopted an ordinance to opt in to the plastic bag ban section of the County’s Bring Your Own Bag bill to reduce single-use plastic bags and plastic waste in waterways. (C-19)
Resiliency
• The consultant completed data collection and field surveys for the Flood Resiliency Master Plan (FRMP) and began developing a flooding model to depict both existing and projected flooding conditions in Rockville. The first phase of outreach was completed featuring an interactive flooding map and survey, tabling at community events, 2,212 direct mailings to properties with increased flood risk, two open house events engaging 43 people, and social media posts. (M-13)
• Continued to partner with the Montgomery County Green Bank (MCGB) and the Chesapeake Bay Trust to leverage additional funding for the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program (FMAP) and remove the barrier of upfront investment for low- and moderate-income property owners in 2025. The program provides up to 50 percent of the costs of projects up to $5,000 per property and reimbursed $24,763 for 14 flood mitigation projects at 10 properties. (C-20)
• Rockville completed a draft of the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), a multidisciplinary, all-hazards plan that establishes a comprehensive framework for the management of major emergencies and disasters within the city. (M-11)
Public Engagement and Oversight
• In FY 2025 and to date in FY2026, the city was awarded more than $1.9 million in grants and rebates to support LED streetlight conversions, solar development, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, tree planting at RedGate, electric senior center buses, facility energy upgrades, and flood resiliency master planning. (M-15)
• Published eleven issues of the Environment & Sustainability newsletter, which rose to 3,404 subscribers. Newsletters included flood resiliency planning, rebate opportunities, native habitat and gardening tips, flooding resources, events and general pollution prevention. (C-25)
• Launched a new email newsletter for Rockville commercial property managers. Published 4 issues of the Sustainability Scoop newsletter, with 188 total subscribers, featuring environmental regulation reminders, training opportunities, and environmental news for property managers. (C-25)
• Hosted four virtual Climate Solution education sessions attended by 89 participants and participated in 16 in-person outreach events. (C-25)
Mayor and Council History
The Mayor and Council adopted the Climate Action Plan (CAP) on January 10, 2022, and the EV Readiness Plan (EVRP) on March 24, 2025. CAP annual reports were provided to the Mayor and Council on March 27, 2023, April 29, 2024, and April 28, 2025.
Boards and Commissions Review
The Environment Commission continued to support implementation of the Climate Action Plan and EV Readiness Plan throughout 2025. The Commission received an overview of the online dashboards on April 2, 2026, and provided suggestions for further public engagement.
Next Steps
As the Climate Action Plan is implemented, several CAP and EVRP-related initiatives are expected to move forward. Many of these will come before the Mayor and Council for award or adoption over the next year, including but not limited to:
• FY 2027 Budget Appropriations: Continue stormwater management incentives, compost programs, and energy programs. New funding for the Building Energy Performance Improvements CIP and a new electric Senior Center transit bus.
• Projects: Implement Phase 3 of LED streetlight conversions (TA22), purchase electric Senior Center transit bus, install EV charging stations, complete rooftop solar at Lincoln Park Community Center, implement BEPI CIP, and award of a multi-site solar rooftop and canopy contract.
• Policies and Code Amendments: Adopt amendments to Chapter 10 (Floodplain Ordinance) to ensure compliance with updated FEMA requirements, Chapter 19 (Sediment Control and Stormwater Management) to comply with update state standards, Chapter 21 (Streets, Roads, Rights-of-Way, and Public Improvements) to permit certain private improvements in the rights-of-way, and the comprehensive rewrite of Chapter 25 (Zoning Ordinance).
• Plan Development and Implementation: Launch Green Space Management Plan community engagement and continue stakeholder engagement for the Flood Resiliency Master Plan (SA23). Continue implementation of Vision Zero, Bikeway Master Plan, Pedestrian Master Plan, and EV Readiness Plan.
The fourth annual report covering 2026 is anticipated to be provided to the Mayor and Council in early 2026. CAP programs and updates will continue to be posted at www.rockvillemd.gov/climate <http://www.rockvillemd.gov/climate>.