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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAir Quality Advisory Board - Minutes - 08/21/20231 08/21/2023 - Minutes Air Quality Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Monday, August 21, 2023 – 5:30 PM 222 Laporte Avenue, Colorado River Room 1. CALL TO ORDER: 5:31 PM 2. ROLL CALL a. Board Members Present – • Mark Houdashelt (Chair) • Greg Clark (Vice-Chair) • Gavin McMeeking • Dan Welsh • Wayne Chuang • Maria Moore • Matt Ayres • Greg Boiarsky • Sandra LeBrun b. Board Members Absent – • None c. Staff Members Present – • Selina Lujan de Albers, Staff Liaison • Emily Olivo, Sr. Specialist, Air Quality • Kirk Longstein, Senior Environmental Planner d. Guest(s) – • Vara Vissa 3. AGENDA REVIEW No changes. 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION Vara Vissa, community member (6716 Wildflower Rd.), provided comments regarding the regional wasteshed and waste transfer station, fugitive dust, and vehicle idling. She noted:  Concerns about the landfill - disrupts the rural land views and the dirt excavation is leading to fugitive dust.  The Larimer County Behavioral Health building was built on natural spaces, came with new traffic lights, and is leading to more vehicle idling.  The planned economics, volume of loads, and the waste diversion calculations for the regional wasteshed are incorrect.  The waste transfer station invites large trucks.  She comes to the AQAB to raise awareness that the system created for the regional wasteshed is not viable and should not happen. 2 08/21/2023 - Minutes  Supports decentralizing and keeping waste diversion efforts local to Fort Collins  Interest in an audit for the dust emitted by the landfill. 5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. There is a City volunteer engagement event scheduled on August 26 at the Lincoln Center. b. Council discussed the restructuring of boards and commissions. • The recruitment timeframe has changed: • Applications accepted from December-January • Interviews in mid-February • Council appointments in March • New members start in April • There will be specific training for Board Chairs • 1-year terms have been eliminated • The AQAB will have five 4-year members and four 2-year members • More flexibility in allowing boards to meet together c. Greg Boiarsky attended the last Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting. • AQAB needs to decide on what they want to support: • Keep it as a committee or change it to an advisory board? • Should it focus on micro-mobility and bicycling or just micro- mobility? • Should it be separated into two different boards, one bicycling and one micro-mobility? • Questions for the AQAB - “What do we think about losing our voice in this board?” “If the bicycling committee becomes a board, will we lose our voice?” “If an Active Modes board is created, what would we expect of that board?” “How will this silo expertise?” • Board members are not allowed to sit on more than one board, but this committee allows for a unique way to contribute to more than one board, because the Bicycle Advisory Committee is a sub-committee of the Transportation Board. • The board will discuss further at a future meeting 6. NEW BUSINESS a. Discussion with City Liaison Councilmember Pignataro, AQAB Council liaison, and the Board discussed Board priorities and interests for the next two years. Overview: A few months ago, AQAB members discussed their top three priorities the board should focus on over the next year or so. The general topics, like indoor air quality, have some overlap, but board members shared priorities that are diverse. Indoor air quality, wildfires, and transportation had the most interest. Council member Pignataro asked what actionable items the board with like to see take place within the listed priorities. Discussion:  Mark 1. Transportation: Electric Vehicles will help reach the City’s 2030 goals  State is going to require 82% of Colorado car sales to be clean fuel by 2032 3 08/21/2023 - Minutes  Would like the City to help dealerships promote the incentives of the Inflation Reduction Act to catalyze EV sales 2. Indoor AQ: Natural gas bans in buildings 3. Monitoring: Ozone precursors  Look into options for using Boulder Air monitors that are no longer in use  A barrier to using these monitors is getting access to the data without being charged  Gavin 1. Wildfires: resilience and adaptation  Creating clean air shelters during smoke events  Look at how other communities are approaching clean air shelters, like the San Juan Health District  How do we use the facilities we currently have when there is really bad smoke impact?  Matt 1. Transportation  Implementation of new bus systems and increase ride share  Wayne 1. Indoor Air Quality  Filtering and ventilation indoor spaces  Raising awareness that everyday activities, like cooking, can worsen indoor air quality  Measure how well a space is being filtered or is bringing outdoor air in  Regulation for new buildings that meet a standard for reducing Particulate Matter, Carbon Monoxide, and Carbon Dioxide 2. Land Use Planning: Urban development, ease of access to transit options 3. Transportation  Better transit options, frequency of busses has gone down and do not run on Sundays  Idling signs are posted but the City should explore an enforcement program 4. General: reduce consumption  Dan 1. Wildfire  Creating clean air space shelters, partnerships with public spaces (i.e. mall, library, recreation centers, etc.)  Public education on masking and Do It Yourself Portable Air Cleaners during events 2. Indoor Air Quality  Bring more IAQ issues into the AQ conversations taking place 3. Transportation  Offer alternatives to single occupancy vehicles and/or internal combustions methods  Additional conversations about energy generation and clean energy production  Greg C. 1. Oil &Gas  Raise the bar on operational standards, incentivize the industry to comply with operational standards 2. Continuous monitoring  Raise the bar on safety and protection levels  Put in place an infostructure to understand sources 3. Wildfires 4 08/21/2023 - Minutes  Preparedness and communication strategies  Establish emergency plans, especially for marginalized communities  Greg B. 1. Transportation  Get transportation to people who need it  Incentives for public transportation, for the drivers and passengers  More electric busses 2. Indoor Air Quality  Provide strategies that people feel they can implement  City work on regulations at the supply level 1. Work with suppliers to not make health-degrading products so cheap 2. Make healthier products affordable 3. Environmental Justice  More incentives, affordable and desirable for everyone  Empower people through incentives to protect their health and finances  Sandra 1. Outreach  How people can access rebates and information about available resources more easily  Look at strategies from other communities or countries 2. Work together so people do not feel like they are being regulated  Maria 1. Indoor Air Quality  Public outreach - VOCs, radon, and Mold 1. Articles in the Coloradoan 2. Transportation - idling at schools 3. Wildfires - Mitigation strategies for your home (information) 4. Methane Gas - measurements from landfills and agriculture b. Oil and Gas (O&G) Reverse Setbacks Kirk Longstein, Senior Environmental Planner, discussed the City staff recommendations for reverse setbacks. The board asked questions of Kirk to inform their recommendation to Council. City Staff Recommendation (as summarized by Mark):  Operating wells - the current reverse setback in City code is 500 ft, but staff is proposing to increase this to 2000 ft to be consistent with the required setback of new O&G wells from existing buildings. Staff is also proposing that a variance be allowed (to 500 ft) for operating wells if testing indicates no leakage and other specific the criteria are met.  Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) injection wells and disposal injections wells - \these are not covered by current City code, but staff is proposing a 2000 ft setback with a variance allowed (to 500 ft) for EOR injection wells if testing 5 08/21/2023 - Minutes indicates no leakage and other specific criteria are met; staff is not making a proposal for disposal injection wells because there are none in this area.  Not fully reclaimed abandoned wells - the current reverse setback in City code is 500 ft, and staff is proposing to leave this unchanged.  Fully reclaimed abandoned wells - the current reverse setback in City code is 150 ft, and staff is proposing to leave this unchanged. Discussion:  Multiple board members brought up concerns regarding monitoring of wells, including who will monitor, how frequently, and how accountability can be ensured. It was explained that developers will be responsible for any issues detected through 5-year monitoring and will not be able to receive a certificate of occupancy until all criteria have been met. This policy work is a balance between health/environmental needs and private property rights.  It was suggested that setbacks should be consistent across the types of wells to keep things simpler, more straightforward, and to reduce variances.  The risk of abandoned wells contaminating groundwater and soil was discussed.  Board members suggested different options for recommendation, including supporting the staff recommendation as is, changing all setbacks to 2,000 feet, and supporting the staff recommendation but with enhanced/increased monitoring.  There were comparisons made between the new radon disclosure state law and the disclosure requirements of these setback policies. Board Recommendation: The Air Quality Advisory Board has discussed City staff's proposals for amending the City's regulations related to oil and gas (O&G) reverse setbacks and makes the following recommendations: In terms of the setbacks from different types of O&G wells:  operating wells - the AQAB recommends that Council adopt the staff proposal (2000 ft setback with a conditional potential variance to 500 ft)  enhanced oil recovery (EOR) injection wells - the AQAB recommends that Council adopt the staff proposal (2000 ft setback with a conditional potential variance to 500 ft)  not fully reclaimed abandoned wells - the AQAB recommends that Council adopt the staff proposal (500 ft)  fully reclaimed abandoned wells - the AQAB recommends that Council NOT adopt the staff proposal but instead set this reverse setback at 500 ft, similar to that of not fully reclaimed abandoned wells. The AQAB also recommends that Council adopt the staff proposals:  to prohibit ADUs (detached occupiable buildings) within the buffer zones.  to measure setbacks from all occupiable buildings, not just residences.  to extend buffer zones beyond arterial roads.  for soil-gas and groundwater monitoring (monitor once prior to permitting and once at the end of a five-year construction guarantee).  for the notification requirements that a landowner must provide to potential buyers or renters that would reside on a property that fully or partially includes land within the buffer zone near an O&G facility. 6 08/21/2023 - Minutes The AQAB also recommends that Council adopt regulations that clearly specify the parties that are financially liable for the environmental and health impacts of any future well plug failure and develop the disclosure requirements that will apply when this responsibility is transferred from one party to another. 7. BOARD MEMBER REPORT  International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, September 7th- CDPHE is participating.  City Council recently adopted a resolution for Sustainable Funding to be put on the November ballot. 8. STAFF REPORTS  None 9. OTHER BUSINESS  Agenda planning postponed 10. ADJOURNMENT  (8:20pm) Minutes approved by a vote of the Board on 10/16/2023