Julia Ilhardt, Master’s in International Policy '25
Graduate Fellow, North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG)
In June, I completed my first year of Stanford’s Master’s in International Policy, concentrating in Energy, Natural Resources, and the Environment. Over the course of my work and studies in climate policy, I have become increasingly aware of the need to engage all levels of government to implement effective decarbonization measures. That’s why I was excited about the opportunity to contribute to climate planning within local governments, and I’m grateful that SFI has supported me through this endeavor.
I have spent part of my time this summer working with the Environment and Development team at the North Central Texas Council of Governments, or NCTCOG. NCTCOG is an association of local governments serving 16 counties, including the urban centers of Dallas and Fort Worth – an area larger than 9 states and a population larger than 36 states.
The council formed to conduct transportation planning more than 50 years ago but also took on air quality collaboration efforts in the 1990s. Some counties in North Central Texas have been in ozone nonattainment for decades, meaning ozone levels exceed safe limits as determined by the EPA. 10 counties in the region have now reached “severe” nonattainment, and two may reach nonattainment for fine particulate matter under revised standards. The need to address the health and environmental risks associated with local pollutants goes hand in hand with emissions reductions, and NCTCOG was a natural pick to lead the region’s climate efforts.
NCTCOG was awarded funding under the Inflation Reduction Act’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants, which entailed submitting a Preliminary Climate Action Plan (PCAP) in March of 2024 and requires a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) in mid-2025. I have joined the team in the midst of developing this comprehensive plan.
The PCAP included dozens of measures across the transportation, energy, water, waste, and agriculture/land use sectors, developed in collaboration with community stakeholders. NCTCOG also had to create a greenhouse gas inventory and an analysis of benefits for low income disadvantaged communities.
For the CCAP, I have been helping the team identify gaps in the initial set of measures and test out tools to more robustly quantify the potential emissions and benefits associated with various actions. In particular, I have studied the proposed measures to reduce energy sector emissions in the PCAPs of other major metropolitan areas, considering how these could apply in North Central Texas. For the rest of the summer, I plan to contribute to NCTCOG’s updated greenhouse gas inventory and to develop additional climate measures for the CCAP.
This experience has taught me about a diverse, practical set of challenges associated with reducing emissions at the community level. Mitigating climate change presents an opportunity to improve local environments and economies, but it requires careful planning and dedicated work. I will carry forward the understanding that climate policies need to be designed with and for those who will implement and live with the effects.
