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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEnergy Board - Minutes - 12/09/2021 ENERGY BOARD REGULAR MEETING December 9, 2021 – 5:30 pm Remote – Zoom ROLL CALL Board Members Present: Bill Becker, Jeremy Giovando, Alan Braslau, John Fassler Board Members Absent: Steve Tenbrink, Dan Gould, Marge Moore OTHERS PRESENT Staff Members Present: Christie Fredrickson, Adam Bromley, Cyril Vidergar, Adelle McDaniel, Honore Depew, Kirk Longstein, Aaron Iverson, Cortney Geary, Melinda Dempsey, Drew Brooks, Brian Tholl, Councilmember Tricia Canonico Members of the Public: Devin Moore MEETING CALLED TO ORDER Chairperson Becker called the meeting to order at 5:33 pm PUBLIC COMMENT None APPROVAL OF MINUTES The November 17, 2021, meeting minutes were not approved at this meeting due to a lack of quorum at tonight’s meeting. ANNOUNCEMENTS & AGENDA CHANGES Officer Elections will be pushed to the January agenda. 2020 CARBON INVENTORIES Honore Depew, Climate Program Manager Adelle McDaniel, Senior Sustainability Specialist (attachments available upon request) Mr. Depew said Fort Collins has been a leader in Climate Action since the 1990s and has been reaffirming along the way a deep commitment to aggressive goals in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The City’s goals have been some of the most aggressive targets in the region and the country, and they are now being paired with equity and resilience, recognizing the solutions must be centered on the community and rooted in people. The City’s climate goals were established with the 2015 Climate Action Plan, built on science-based targets to align with Paris Climate Agreement, and reaffirmed as part of the now-adopted Our Climate Future plan. The goals ensure that Fort Collins is doing its part to mitigate global climate change. Ms. McDaniel shared that as a community, Fort Collins is down 24% below the 2005 baseline for 2020, the goal was 20%. Per capita, this is a 41% reduction, or a reduction of 8 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (comparable to the emissions avoided from driving 20,000 miles less in your car). ENERGY BOARD REGULAR MEETING 2019 recorded only a 7% reduction in carbon emissions, and Ms. McDaniel highlighted the three main contributors to the 24% reduction recorded in 2020: the Roundhouse Renewable Energy Project (10%), travel reductions due to the Stay-at-Home orders that were in place (3%), and a decrease in industrial process and product use (IPPU) emissions (2%). Ms. McDaniel noted that IPPUs decreased due to abatement devices put in place by larger industries in Fort Collins, not due to a decrease in production. The remaining 2% in reductions were due to weather and other factors, 2019 was a colder year compared to 2020’s milder weather. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic did influence travel, equating to about a 14% decrease in total community miles driven for the year, but it also increased waste produced per capita per day by about one pound. There was also a large shift of energy use from commercial to residential use. Staff remains confident that even if the pandemic had not affected the community’s behaviors so heavily, that the community still would have reached the emissions reduction goal; however, it may have landed closer to 20-21% instead of 24%. The progress in 2020 is something to celebrate, and at the same time it remains critical to keep momentum towards meeting our aggressive targets. To get to the 2030 goal (80% reduction below 2005 levels), there’s a lot of work to do—getting to 2030 will require significant transformation and deepened efforts. Completing and achieving the critical strategies outlined in Our Climate Future (100% renewable electricity, expansion of regional and local transit, and universal composting) will be a necessary step to getting part-way there. Our Climate Future’s Next Moves will also help close the gap, as well as new goals and steps that will be identified in the plan’s two-year calibration cycles. Board member Braslau asked if the numbers include industrial emissions. Ms. McDaniel confirmed that data is included, the City started receiving data from the EPA in 2019 and back-entered it into their measurements, so the graphic the Board saw tonight is accurate. Mr. Braslau also noted that Platte River continues to burn coal, so even though the community continues to take advantage of renewable credits, there is still a huge regional emission of carbon dioxide. Chairperson Becker asked what abatement devices the industrial industries have implemented. Ms. McDaniel said she doesn’t have a ton of information readily available but would be happy to follow up with the Board with that material later. Board member Fassler said equity is hugely important, but the building community seems to still be winning the building code battle. He said that we short-change low to moderate income homes when we do not enforce building codes. Equity should be carefully approached and evaluated from a long-term approach; low-income households will be disproportionately more affected by climate change in the long run. BUILDING ENERGY WATER SCORING LANGUAGE UPDATE Kirk Longstein, Energy Services Project Manager (attachments available upon request) Building Energy and Water Scoring (BEWS) was adopted by City Council in December 2018. BEWS requires benchmarking and transparency using the Energy Star Portfolio Manager tool for both commercial and multifamily buildings greater than 5,000 square feet. The City’s code began with phased implementation starting with larger buildings and will continue downward toward smaller-sized buildings, which encompasses about 2,000 buildings in total. The first reports were submitted March 1, 2020, and allowed for a 12-month grace period (due to COVID-19). ENERGY BOARD REGULAR MEETING The City will be updating the Code language for this program to align better with a new state statute, HB 21-1286. The Code updates to the program include the following: Removing code language that prevents future City Councils from exploring minimum Energy Star score for non-City-owned buildings; establishes that the City manager will set BPS (Building Performance Standards) requirements by December 31, 2022 for its City-owned facilities in alignment with HB-1286; align reporting deadline to June 1; remove requirement phasing (all buildings must begin reporting June 1, 2022); and create administrative rules for local program alignment with the state statute. BPS sets final, long-term standards or target for each building type; each building type, such as office, retail, mix-use, etc., will have different targets and standards. Buildings have individual trajectories with interim standards to check progress. Every five years, properties are evaluated to see if they are meeting their interim targets. Mr. Longstein explained on May 17, the federal government issued an Executive Order directing all Federal Buildings to begin exploring BPS. On October 4, The White House Council on Environmental Quality extended a formal invitation to participate in a national coalition of mayors and governors to commit to adopting local building performance standards, with a goal of adopting BPS by Earth Day, April 22nd, 2024. Mayor Arndt has signaled interest in participating in the program. At the state level, HB 21-1286 commits to BPS for buildings greater than 50,000 square feet by 2026. The Colorado Energy Office has convened a task force to develop BPS recommendations to meet sector-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets of 7% by 2026 and 20% by 2030 from a 2021 baseline. These targets align with the state’s Greenhouse Gas roadmap. Mr. Longstein is an appointed member of the task force, which is scheduled to convene through October 2022. Board member Fassler said his general philosophy is to get to the highest standard possible, as we know buildings in general, but especially commercial buildings, are huge source of greenhouse gas emissions. Mr. Longstein asked the Board to consider if the local programs size requirements (down to 5,000 square feet) is an appropriate size level. There are about 250 buildings that would fall into that threshold, so having community dialog around this would be helpful to staff. Chairperson Becker wondered if building owners will feel that this program is a burden. Mr. Longstein said it is an investment, all the efficiency measures that are currently incentivized would encourage these types of improvements in commercial buildings. Mr. Longstein added that this program really impacts building owners (rather than tenants) and addresses the split incentive within the commercial space. Ensuring that tenants have the utility bill information before leasing the space provides an additional decision point for them, it also helps them to plan better operations & maintenance budgets, rather than just base-rent costs. Board member Fassler wondered how a new building (shown on the map) could already be out of compliance. Mr. Longstein clarified that if a new building received a certificate of occupancy within the year that benchmarking is required, that building would be exempt from reporting. The building needs to have a year of occupancy before they can report. Mr. Tholl added out of compliance language on the map also indicates that they out of compliance with the ordinance (i.e., reporting), not necessarily poor performance. Chairperson Becker asked how the Board can provide guidance to staff for this program. Mr. Longstein said this group can help inform the broader alignment to the City’s emission-free climate goals through Our Climate Future, as well as feedback around if this is the right time and the right approach. He hopes ENERGY BOARD REGULAR MEETING he can check back in with the Board as new information is released and progress is made. Mr. Tholl asked the Board to consider if the City should accelerate beyond the state’s timeline and create something that is Fort Collins specific, or should the state pave the way. This could be an opportunity to lead, but there will also be places where staff could get tangled and tied up, so they would appreciate any feedback or thoughts as things are progressing. Board member Fassler said it seems like an opportunity to identify the City’s biggest users and the biggest priorities and wondered if there is a plan to identify the worst building in the City and heavily incentivize them to make the changes. Mr. Longstein said that is a good point, and other utilities seem to be catching up to that idea as well. The City has not had an opportunity to do that yet, but the program was never intended to be a public shaming either. TRANSPORTATION UPDATE Aaron Iverson, Interim FC Moves Manager Drew Brooks, Director of Transfort and Parking Services Cortney Geary, Active Modes Program Manager Melina Dempsey, Transit Planner City Plan, Fort Collins’ comprehensive plan that guides how the community will grow and travel, defines a strong land-use vision for the future to ensure that Fort Collins in 2040 remains an attractive and thriving place to live, study, work, and visit. This land-use vision will concentrate much of the City’s population and employment growth along key transportation corridors, while still providing for a mix of different development types across Fort Collins. In support of City Plan, the Transit Master Plan, which was adopted in April of 2019, will help guide the evolution of the City’s transit system. The plan highlights regional connections, mobility hubs, innovation zones, and high-frequency focus areas (such as three new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routs and a goal of 30-minute service or better throughout the system, outside of BRTs). Current projects that support the build-out goals of the Transit Plan include the West Elizabeth and North College BRTs, North Transit Maintenance, Fleet Electrification, and a Transit Funding Study. Currently there are more daily trips on the West Elizabeth corridor than there are on the City’s Max route, and the BRT is currently in the project development stage with the Federal Transit Administration. The project will have a 30% design completion in early 2022, and that will make it eligible for the Small Starts program, which is the same program that funded approximately 80% Max route. The North College BRT project will begin with a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) analysis of how to bring more frequent (15 minutes or less), direct bus service to the North College area. The analysis will look at using dedicated or shared bus lanes, consider impact to land uses and strategies to maintain affordability and minimize displacement. Staff estimates completing the plan in summer of 2022. The City’s current maintenance facility was built in the 1980s and has reached capacity, so staff is looking to identify a second location on the north side of town to support service and house busses. The Transit Funding Study will help refine the cost estimates in the Transit Master Plan, which were based on 2016 numbers. The study is already underway, looking at long-term needs and funding strategies, and should be completed in 2022. The Fleet Electrification Master Plan should be complete in Quarter Three of 2022. The first two electric buses should be delivered in early 2022, barring any supply chain issues. Additionally, 11 Battery Electric Buses (BEBs) should be added to the fleet in the next 18-24 months. ENERGY BOARD REGULAR MEETING Ms. Geary highlighted the City’s plans for Electric Vehicle readiness and micro-mobility. The Electric Vehicle (EV) Readiness Roadmap was developed in 2018 and includes action items to support EV adoption. Updates to City code are also in development and expected to be presented to City Council in February. The City recently implemented a new E-bike & E-scooter Share Program, partnering with Spin. Spin launched in July 2021 with 500 e-scooters and 400 e-bikes and has since recorded nearly 135,000 rides to date at an average of about one mile per trip. Ms. Geary also reviewed the City’s Active Modes plan, which updates and consolidates the City’s 2011 Pedestrian Plan and 2014 Bicycle Plan. This plan will also look at how to accommodate micro-mobility transportation such as e-bikes and e-scooters. Staff is currently in the “Existing Conditions” phase of planning; their selected consultant is helping staff look at data related to existing biking and walking, as well as community feedback. In 2018, the City conducted an Employee Travel survey and found that 93% of employees drive to work, but 50% of employees live within five miles of their office. Five miles is an easy distance that can be covered by active modes of transportation if there is a safe and convenient route to take. Today the City estimates there are about 40% of employees who live within a half mile of a BRT or high frequency transit system and hopes that by 2040 that number will be closer to 75%. Ms. Dempsey noted the City has a couple exciting initiatives beginning in 2022: The Travel Demand Management (TDM) Program and a Travel Survey. TDM is also sometimes referred to as mobility management and is the application of strategies and policies to help maximize the efficiencies of transportation systems; hopefully encouraging people to shift travel tendencies from driving alone in gas powered vehicles to sustainable modes. The FC Moves team is working on new TDM strategies to employ down the line, such as reaching out to employers to do trip reduction assistance programs, implementing ride matching programs, parking management strategies, and incentive programs. The 2022 Budget includes funding to develop a TDM plan and toolkit, targeting City employees and residents, employers, employees, developers, and property managers. Another travel survey is coming in 2022 which will ask participants to keep a travel diary and associated report. Staff will use the data to model share and trip making behavior of Fort Collins residents, which will help to inform plan and project priorities, as well as establish metrics. Chairperson Becker wondered how the electric bus program will be coordinated with the electric utility, and if there will be a push to coordinate the electrification of other local fleets in the City, such as PSD school busses. Mr. Brooks said he works with the Utility closely, and as soon as this project was brought to the table staff began strategizing. The south maintenance center was retrofitted with infrastructure to charge the BEBs. The busses will run all day on their charge, and charge at night during off-peak times; however, there are currently some routes that won’t support that and will need to utilize “opportunity charges,” likely at the north and south transit centers. Right now, the modeling is indicating comparable pricing, but as EVs become more prevalent that should become more attainable. Mr. Iverson noted the EV Readiness Roadmap has identified other fleets as an opportunity area, but the City’s role will probably largely remain as an encourager for the time being. Board member Braslau wondered if the North College BRT will be a continuation of the Max, or if riders will be required to change busses. Ms. Dempsey said the project is still in the very early stages, and staff is developing various routing options. It will likely be a phased project. Staff has heard from the community that a one-seat ride is very desirable. Mr. Braslau said a one-seat ride is essential. He also noted that he recently tried to take the Max and it was a 25-minute wait, which is unacceptable. Mr. Brooks agreed and that is not unique to Fort Collins. For the first time ever Max service was reduced, Mr. Brooks explained this is due to bus operator shortages nationwide. ENERGY BOARD REGULAR MEETING Councilmember Canonico asked what staff is seeing in terms of funding from the new federal infrastructure bill. Mr. Brooks said preliminarily the City could see about a 30% increase in federal dollars for operating funding. In addition, the capital project budgets also look like they will go up. DRAFT 2021 ANNUAL REPORT Board members reviewed the draft 2021 Annual Report. Ms. Fredrickson will add the dates for each discussed topic ahead of the January meeting, where the report will be approved. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Interviews are beginning for Board member appointments and reappointments, and some existing Board members are concerned about the current date for the interviews. Staff agreed there should be more flexibility and said they could follow up with the scheduling team to confirm the process. FUTURE AGENDA REVIEW Both the November and December 2021 meeting minutes will need to be approved at the January 13 meeting. The Board will also conduct officer elections and approve their 2021 Annual Report. Other topics coming to the Board in January include the 2021 Energy Code Update and a presentation on Shared Energy Systems Net Metering. The Board will also discuss their 2022 Planning Calendar. ADJOURNMENT The Energy Board adjourned at 7:50 pm.