Jefferson Transit Authority’s Climate Action Plan: Driving Fleet Electrification and Resilience

Jefferson Transit’s First Climate Action Plan

Jefferson Transit Authority (JTA) hired MFA to develop the agency’s first climate action plan (CAP), a road map designed to guide JTA’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and build climate resilience. Given the increasing importance of addressing climate change and the unique challenges it poses to transit operations, JTA needed a clear, actionable strategy to guide its climate actions.

Conducting a Comprehensive GHG Inventory and Climate Risk Assessment

To inform the CAP, our team conducted a GHG inventory, examining emissions from JTA’s fleet, buildings, energy use, and employee commutes. Additionally, we assessed the potential impacts of climate hazards—such as sea level rise, extreme heat, and increased precipitation—on JTA operations. We also explored established and innovative opportunities for reducing emissions and enhancing resilience to climate impacts both within JTA’s operations and countywide.

Fleet Electrification: A Key Strategy for Reducing Emissions

A key element of the plan focused on next steps for fleet electrification, which will play a large role in reducing operational emissions. We also worked with JTA to set specific emission reduction targets, which will guide the agency’s efforts in achieving measurable progress toward its climate goals.

Collaborating with Community Partners and Stakeholders

To ensure the climate action plan would meet the needs of JTA and the community, MFA led a highly collaborative process. We worked closely with a project team, consisting of JTA staff and community partners, that guided the overall direction of the plan and conducted regular reviews of our work. We also presented to local boards and commissions to ensure that the plan aligned with regional goals. 

Prioritizing Goals for Emissions Reduction, Resilience, and Governance

Public and stakeholder engagement was a cornerstone of the process, with results from a survey, interviews, focus groups, and open houses providing valuable feedback that informed the plan’s priorities and specific actions. Based on all of this input, MFA guided JTA in setting and prioritizing ambitious goals, strategies, and actions across three key focus areas: 

• Reducing emissions
• Building climate resilience
• Improving governance for climate action. 

The final CAP went through multiple drafts and iterations, incorporating a wide range of feedback to ensure that it reflected community priorities. 

Outcomes and Ongoing Efforts for Long-Term Climate Action

As a result of our work, Jefferson Transit Authority now has a user-friendly, actionable climate action plan that will not only help the agency prioritize its climate initiatives in the coming years but also position it to seek grant funding and drive collaboration with local and regional partners. This plan will serve as an important tool in JTA’s ongoing efforts to address climate change both within the agency and across Jefferson County.