Routt County and City of Steamboat Springs | GHG Emissions Inventoryj, Climate Action Plan, Comprehensive Plan
GHG Emissions inventory and climate action plan
Lotus has been hired twice by Routt County (with the support of Steamboat Springs) to complete sustainability projects. In 2019, Lotus worked with Routt County and Steamboat Springs to complete a 2018 GHG emissions inventory that was GPC-compliant. Lotus performed all data collection and analysis, developed a City- and County-specific emissions reporting tool, backcasted (until 2005) and forecasted (until 2050) emissions, developed an inventory management tool, and wrote an inventory summary report.
In 2020/2021, Lotus led the development of Routt County’s Climate and Adaptation Action Plan which included leading an informed stakeholder engagement process considering equity, modeling the impact of emission reduction strategies, and developing an aspirational yet achievable Climate Action Plan for the County and each municipality located within the community. Lotus also helped design a public-facing website to assist with community engagement.
You can track the progress in implementing the plan HERE.
In 2025 the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council contracted Lotus to perform an update to the Routt County community-wide greenhouse gas emissions inventory originally created for 2018. The inventory includes a breakout for the City of Steamboat Springs as well as the unincorporated portions of the county. Lotus also provided analysis into trends between inventory years and key drivers of emissions increases and decreases. Updates were also made to the 2018 inventory based on newly found data and methodology updates. A presentation to the YVSC board was also given at the end of the project.
Steamboat Springs Comprehensive Plan
Additionally, Lotus is a subconsultant to the SE Group to create a Comprehensive Plan for Steamboat Springs. Couched in a number of recently updated plans, including a Routt County Sustainability plan developed by Lotus (2021), Steamboat Springs is looking to improve sustainability and resiliency within the unique mountain town. Core to their way of life is recreation and subsequently tourism, but all of this puts weight on the city’s most precious resources - the Yampa River, the Steamboat Springs Ski Area to name a few. The Comprehensive Plan will be instructive in outlining the Steamboat approach to responsibly managing assets, protecting the thriving outdoor life that folks travel all over the world to experience, improving traffic and walkability, all while keeping an eye to increasing frequency of wildfire and drought.
