The Green Communities Committee (GCC) is pleased to announce the availability of a sixth GCC approved Option 1 project to assist local governments in meeting their climate action goals – the Trenchless Technology Project.

Local Governments from across BC have demonstrated strong leadership in signing on to the BC Climate Action Charter and committing to work toward reducing GHG emissions and taking actions to make their communities more complete, compact and energy efficient.

Since 2007, the joint Provincial – UBCM Green Communities Committee (GCC) has worked with local governments to assist them in achieving these goals, including developing a common approach for carbon neutrality.

In 2011, the GCC established the Carbon Neutral Framework for BC local governments that included 4 steps (measure, reduce, offset/balance and report) and two types of projects - Option 1 and Option 2 projects - that local governments can undertake to reduce GHG emissions within their communities as a way of balancing their corporate GHG emissions.  Option 1 projects are pre-defined projects approved by the GCC. Option 1 projects are pre-defined projects approved by the GCC. Option 2 projects are projects proposed and undertaken by the local government and validated and verified by third parties. The GCC has previously developed and approved five Option 1 GHG reduction projects – supported by five related project profiles.  

This GCC communiqué announces the sixth GCC-approved Option 1 project: the Trenchless Technology Project. The attached Trenchless Technology Project profile provides guidance on estimating the emission reductions associated with using trenchless technologies, rather than conventional open-cut trenching, for capital projects to upgrade, repair, replace or construct water or wastewater utility pipes. An accompanying GCC Carbon Calculator enables local governments that undertake eligible capital projects that use trenchless technology to replace utility pipes (general maintenance projects are not eligible) to estimate the amount of emission reductions realized. 

The Trenchless Technology Project profile and the GCC Carbon Calculator can be found on the BC Climate Action Toolkit Carbon Neutral page: www.toolkit.bc.ca/cnlg (Under the HOW tab).

For more information, including information about whether the Trenchless Technology project profile may be used to help balance local government 2018 GHG corporate emissions, please contact the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing at PLUM@gov.bc.ca