HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/03/2015 - Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goals - Air Quality Advisory BoardAir Quality Advisory Board Statement to the Fort Collins City Council, regarding:
RESOLUTION 2015-030 UPDATING COMMUNITY GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION GOALS
March 3, 2015
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Good evening, Mayor and Council Members. I am Mark Houdashelt, a member of the City’s Air Quality
Advisory Board. The Board has asked me to summarize our Board’s perspective on the Greenhouse Gas
Reduction Goals ordinance and Climate Action Plan framework being considered this evening.
• During the 2006 through 2014 time period, 20 of the 44 recommendations from the Air Quality
Advisory Board to the Council have addressed Climate Action explicitly or noted the Climate Action
benefits of Board-recommended actions. In other words, going back almost a decade, the Board
has consistently and repeatedly identified the importance of Climate Action by the City.
• After recommending action to develop a comprehensive and integrated energy, sustainability and
climate action planning effort to the Council in April 2013, the Board then specifically recommended
to the Council in January 2014 that the City adopt more aggressive greenhouse gas goals, including
an 80% reduction from 2005 emissions by 2030 and aspiring to carbon-neutral status by 2050. The
Air Quality Advisory Board believes that, to become carbon neutral by 2050, the City should
adopt specific, achievable, and measurable actions to be taken by 2020, 2030, 2040, and 2050.
• In December 2014, a Board recommendation to the Council urged that climate action planning and
implementation focus on presenting strong, supportable, convincing economic and environmental
reasons why we should act now, how we can influence values and what is needed to change
behaviors. Among the ways to inspire people to act are to recruit broad-spectrum community
leadership and emphasize economic rationale. This is the challenge for the leaders in this
city…doing now what is economically feasible and necessary to ensure a positive, sustainable
future, and clearly stating what today’s investments will yield in the coming years.
Based on this lengthy record, and noting the participation of three current members of the Board on the
Citizen Advisory Committee, the Air Quality Advisory Board adopted at our January 26, 2015, meeting
the following statements related to the ordinance and framework on tonight’s agenda:
1) The Air Quality Advisory Board supports the adoption of the aspirational goals in the proposed
2015 Climate Action Plan framework.
2) The Air Quality Advisory Board recommends that Council direct staff to develop near-term
implementation plans for the next two budget cycles consistent with the framework plan and the
long-term goals for 2030 and 2050. Staff should be directed to solicit and consider input from
appropriate boards and commissions and the public.
Both statements were adopted unanimously.
Thank you for allowing me to present these recommendations of the Air Quality Advisory Board.
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Available References: List of Climate Action-related recommendations to Council from AQAB
Statement on Climate Action Plan 12-15-14
Recommendations for GHG Goals 01-31-14
Priorities for Budgeting For Outcomes Strategic Plan 12-18-13
Recommendation on Air Quality Emerging Issues for 2013 04-22-13
Recommendation on Climate Action Plan 09-19-12
Recommendation on 2013-2014 Budget 09-11-12
Recommendation on Corn Ethanol 10-21-11
Recommendation on Transportation Master Plan 02-08-11
Recommendation on Proposed City Plan Air Quality Policies 11-10-10
Recommendation on Environmental Health Budget 09-22-09
Recommendation on Climate Action Plan Implementation 07-20-09
Recommendation on the Energy Policy 11-26-08
Recommendation on Climate Action Plan 11-26-08
Support the Climate Action Plan 10-27-08
Support the Trash Districting 09-16-08
Mobility Management Best Practices 06-20-08
Building Code Amendments 04-21-08
Bicycle Plan Update 12-03-07
2008-09 Budget 10-13-07
Climate Change Actions 01-02-07