Napa County Releases Draft Regional Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, Comments Due September 30, 2025

POSTED BY Joshua S. Devore

A draft Napa County Regional Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (RCAAP) has been released for public comment. The draft and related documents can be found at https://climateactionnapa.konveio.com/  Comments are due by September 30, 2025.

This draft has been in development for many years, and covers the County of Napa, the Cities of American Canyon, Calistoga, Napa, and St. Helena, and the Town of Yountville. It includes Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission reduction targets of up to 85 percent by 2045. At the same time, it aims to achieve “carbon neutrality” by 2045, primarily by reforestation of burned areas of the County to promote natural carbon sequestration and removing GHGs from the atmosphere.

The draft discusses 21 GHG reduction strategies with 46 GHG reduction measures across seven emissions sectors, (though the draft only quantifies the impact of 17 of those measures).

The seven sectors, in declining order of their listed percentage of GHG Emissions, are:

On-Road Transportation (39%)
Building Energy (23%)
Solid Waste (16%)
Off-Road Equipment (9%)
Agriculture (8%)
Waste Water (4%), and
Imported Water (<1%).

Six primary measures are expected to achieve the majority of the GHG emissions reductions outlined in the draft, noted below with their share of the reduction by 2030/2045:

SW-4: Increase Landfill Methane Capture Capacity (33%/27%)
SW-1: Increase Solid Waste Diversion (17%/18%)
WW-1: Reduce Methane Emissions from Wastewater Treatment Plants (11%/12%)
BE-1: Retrofit Existing Buildings to Zero Carbon (14%/9%)
AG-1: Reduce Fossil Fuel Consumption in Field Equipment (9%/14%)
TR-9: Expand Renewable Diesel Availability (6%/11%)
All Other Measures: (10%/9%)

The vast majority of the planned emissions reductions come from changes to waste and wastewater practices.

Impacts to the Wine and Vineyard Industry

In addition to the numerous generally applicable measures that apply to all industries, of note to winery and vineyard owners and operators, the draft includes a requirement that 75% of existing wineries and vineyards will be expected to be certified sustainable via Napa Green or another certification program by 2030. 90% of wineries and vineyards are to be certified by 2045 regardless of their date of establishment. Plus, beginning in 2030, all new wineries and vineyards will need to meet this certification if the draft proposal is adopted.

In addition, it is proposed that any existing winery that expands more than 10% of its square footage attain sustainability certification.

Wineries that use ‘hold-and-haul’ wastewater are also targeted to reduce GHGs by encouraging use of zero-emission vehicles and increasing local wastewater treatment.

Impacts to Agriculture

The largest impact on agriculture-related GHG reductions noted in the draft calls for conversion of field equipment and irrigation pumps to clean energy alternatives. This is to be encouraged through financial incentives and trade-in programs.

Several other agricultural related measures are included in the draft, though with much smaller or unquantified impacts. They include that off-road equipment will be targeted for conversion to electrification or renewable diesel, but only through outreach and encouragement activities. Similarly, carbon farming practices will be encouraged, and a system of reporting on those practices is to be implemented.

Notably, while the draft includes a measure to avoid or minimize carbon sequestration losses associated with development projects including vineyard conversions, it does not propose any new measures beyond existing rules. It applies current Napa County General Plan policy CON-24, which requires replacement or preservation of lost oak woodlands at a 2:1 ratio. It also relies on the Napa County Conservation Regulations, as enhanced by the 2019 Water Quality and Tree Protection Ordinance, which require, among other provisions, replacement or preservation at a 3:1 ratio of any vegetation canopy cover removed in the AW zoning district. The draft indicates that the County will also explore a mitigation program and may update the Conservation Regulations if needed, then apply that mitigation program to land development projects.

Impacts to Winery Visitation

Transportation related GHGs are a large component of the draft generally. The draft specifically targets winery visitors. It aims to reduce visitor Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) by creating a transportation demand management program in conjunction with the Napa Valley Transportation Authority and Visit Napa Valley. The draft also includes a search for alternative funding sources to gas tax revenue with the expected reduction in gasoline sales. It includes considering expanded taxes, including “tourist taxes,” road congestion fees, and even requiring wineries to charge visitors for parking.

If you would like to comment on the draft, you can do so directly in the draft here. There are also several public workshops planned.

Joshua S. Devore is a partner in DP&F’s Land Use and Litigation groups.