To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Steve Potter, City Manager
Prepared By: Deborah Elliott, Climate Action Manager
TITLE:
Title
House Concurrent Resolution 46, Authored by Congressman Mike Thompson
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
Adopt a resolution supporting House Concurrent Resolution 46, authored by Congressman Mike Thompson.
Body
DISCUSSION:
There is broad scientific consensus that climate change caused by human activity represents a growing danger to human health, safety, and economic prosperity, and the window for long term climate preservation is rapidly closing. In response to climate change impacts, 195 countries signed the “Paris Agreement” acknowledging the threat of climate change and urgent need to combat it, agreeing to keep global mean temperature “well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels” and to pursue “efforts to limit temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius.”
In 2022, the Council passed a resolution declaring a climate emergency (R2022-030) and in early 2026, City Council again adopted Climate Action as one of its focus areas and recognized the important role that local governments play in leading these efforts.
The proposed resolution would add the City of Napa to a growing list of jurisdictions, districts and boards that have passed a resolution in support of Congressman Mike Thompson’s House Concurrent Resolution (H. Con. Res.) 46. On September 15, 2026, City Council directed staff to develop a resolution for City Council consideration.
Congressman Thompson’s legislative proposal is attached as ATCH 2. H. Con. Res. 46 provides that the United States Congress “(1) formally recognizes its obligation to future generations to restore a safe climate; (2) declares that climate restoration, along with achieving net-zero CO2 emissions, are climate policy priorities; and (3) calls on the President, Secretary of State, and United States Ambassador to the United Nations to take actions that will restore the climate and stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations at preindustrial levels.”
Staff met with Napa Schools for Climate Action as well as Napa Climate Now to discuss a resolution in support of H. Con. Res. 46. Adoption of the proposed resolution would allow the City Council to formally express support for H. Con. Res. 46 and the climate restoration goals within that resolution.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
There is no immediate fiscal impact from the Recommended Action.
CEQA:
The City Manager has determined that the Recommended Action described in this Agenda Report is not subject to CEQA, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15060 (c).
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
ATCH 1 - Resolution
ATCH 2 - House Concurrent Resolution 46
NOTIFICATION:
None