County Executive Signs Zero Carbon Emissions Plan

Crowley holds up net-zero emissions by 2050 resolution. Photo taken April 25, 2025 by Graham Kilmer.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley officially signed off on a plan for county government to achieve carbon-neutrality by 2050.

The plan was years in the making and will now be decades in the implementing. It began in 2021, with a resolution, sponsored by Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson, requesting a long-term plan for moving the county to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In March this year, Crowley’s administration released the long-awaited plan.

Crowley signed a resolution Friday, passed by the Milwaukee County Board the day prior, requesting the administration begin implementing the plan.

“At the end of the day, we have to lead, and when you talk about having clean energy, when we talk about climate change, we have to lead at the local level,” Crowley said. “And granted, our resources are limited, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t implement some programs and some strategies to help us become a much greener community.”

The plan includes projects for departments across the government to begin reducing their emissions, putting emphasis on policymaking and decisions that will not create new carbon emissions for the county. A general estimate of the cost to implement the plan is approximately $441 million.

“This includes everything from energy efficient equipment upgrades to renewable energy generation and even alternative fuel transportation,” said Grant Helle, director of the county’s Office of Sustainability, which led development of the 2050 plan. “These diverse strategies will help Milwaukee County to achieve our emissions reduction goals.”

The county is already on track to achieving its emissions goals. An analysis in 2023 found the county had reduced its emissions by 46% from the baseline year of 2005, which is the internationally accepted baseline used by the Paris Climate Agreement. The county is on track for a 50% reduction by 2050.

“Milwaukee County, our partners, and our communities are already doing incredible climate action work,” Helle said. “This is not brand new to us, from LED lighting retrofits and sustainable design standards, to reforestation and roadway to trail conversions.”

Sup. Anne O’Connor, who has taken an active role in board policymaking related to climate and the environment since being elected in 2024, praised the plan.

“I’m proud of the way this plan acknowledges our changing realities: more severe temperature fluctuations, more extreme weather events and a growing labor market for careers that address our changing climate,” O’Connor said.

Sup. Jack Eckblad said he was excited about the long-term possibilities created by the planning process.

“One of the things that I love about this action plan is it is a foundation stone,” he said. “It is the beginning of a wider effort.”