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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAIR QUALITY ADVISORY BOARD - MINUTES - 03/18/20241 03/18/2024 - Minutes Air Quality Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Monday, March 18, 2024 – 5:30 PM 222 Laporte Avenue, Colorado River Room 1. CALL TO ORDER: 5:30 PM 2. ROLL CALL a. Board Members Present – • Mark Houdashelt (Chair) • Greg Clark (Vice Chair) • Dan Welsh • Maria Moore • Matt Ayres b. Board Members Absent – • None c. Staff Members Present – • Selina Lujan de Albers, Staff Liaison • Davina Lau, Boards and Commissions Coordinator • Katherine Bailey, Utilities Energy Services Program Manager d. Guest(s) – • Adam Schmidt 3. AGENDA REVIEW There were no changes to the published agenda. 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION Adam Schmidt introduced himself as a new incoming Board member starting next month. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES (JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2024) Welsh made a motion, seconded by Moore, to approve the January 2024 minutes as written. The motion was adopted unanimously. Welsh made a motion, seconded by Ayres, to approve the February 2024 minutes as amended. The motion was adopted unanimously with Clark abstaining. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 2 03/18/2024 - Minutes Chair Houdashelt noted Councilmember Kelly Ohlson is the new liaison to the Board , and he will be attending the April Board meeting to introduce himself. Moore noted she had a meeting with Councilmember Ohlson during which they discussed the Board’s Work Plan and ways to improve communication between Council and the Board. Chair Houdashelt reminded the Board of the upcoming Super Issue meeting. Additionally, he noted the Board will be full with new members beginning next month. He reported on attending the Transportation Projects Fair and having discussions regarding the EV readiness roadmap and Front Range Rail. He noted next month’s meeting will be held in the CIC room. Selina noted the NRAB is prepared to hold a joint meeting on May 20th. Welsh stated he was hoping to get a recording of the AQMAC meeting , but he has yet to see if a recording occurred. He stated he will be attending the next meeting this week. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. City of Fort Collins’ Building Performance Standards Presentation – Katherine Bailey Katherine Bailey, Utilities Energy Services Program Manager, noted building performance standards (BPS) tie into Our Climate Future goals, principally the 80% greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2030 goal. She noted the current plans for meeting that goal only show a 76% reduction. Bailey stated over 2/3 of the city’s carbon emissions come from buildings, and the principal potential impact area is in performance of existing buildings . She noted there are two ways to address building performance standards: regulatory and incentives, and stated building performance standards provide the single most powerful direct action the City can take to reduce carbon emissions by 2030. She stated the estimate of the potential impact of a building performance standard is that it would be only slightly less impactful than all of the City’s other efficiency programs combined. Bailey stated building efficiency also positively impacts health, safety, comfort, and resilience, as well as economic growth , increased competitiveness, higher building occupancy, increased productivity of occupants, and improved indoor and outdoor air quality. She noted disproportionately impacted communities benefit the most from many of these impacts. Bailey stated building performance standards are any kind of a target around the efficiency or performance of existing buildings with a focus on flexibility for the building owners and for the jurisdictions in terms of how the standards are compiled. She noted there are already adopted building performance standards in Denver, Boulder, Aspen, and the state of Colorado for buildings 50,000 square feet and larger. Additionally, there are also federal building performance standards, and Fort Collins is part of the National BPS Coalition. Bailey outlined Fort Collins’ process for developing the standards , including the formation of a task force and technical committee as well as equity and 3 03/18/2024 - Minutes community engagement. She stated the recommended interim target year is 2027 with a final 2030 target. Bailey provided additional detail on the task force participants and recommendations for the BPS to cover multi-family buildings of three stories or more above grade and commercial buildings of 5,000 square feet and above and to not overlap with state requirements. Bailey discussed the recommendations around energy use intensity (EUI) targets for how much energy is used per square foot of a building in comparison to other like types of buildings. She also discussed recommended financial and technical resources for building owners and the ability for owners to have timeline and target adjustments, as well as additional resources for under-resourced buildings. Bailey outlined the work of the technical committee to help establish specific EUI targets, caps, alternate pathways, and penalties. She also discussed other community contributors, including other local jurisdictions, non -profits, Platte River Power Authority, environmental groups, Boards and Commissions, community organizations, affordable and multi-family housing experts, business groups, and building owners and representatives. Bailey acknowledged there is likely to be some pushback from building owne rs regarding the new policy and stated the goal is to form the policy as a ‘how,’ not an ‘if.’ Moore asked what staff is viewing as the next target for building performance standards. Bailey replied the multi-family definition was selected to align with what is being used for benchmarking and much of the naturally occurring affordable housing is under three stories. She noted about 15 naturally occurring affordable housing properties in the city would be covered by the standards, and the plan is to determine whether those can meet the standards without being drawn into decreased affordability prior to recommending expansion of the program. Welsh asked how progress compliance is planned to be checked. Bailey replied the buildings are already benchmarking their energy use , and penalties are assessed based on how far the use is from targets. She noted the benchmarking program has existed since 2018 , and it has been shown that regulatory programs are making a large impact on energy savings. Moore asked if there is any consideration of moving these types of regulations into a residential setting. Bailey replied the only BPS in the country she knows of considering that is Aspen due to the size of some of the larger residential properties. She noted the Fort Collins BPS would cover condos if they are above 5,000 square feet but stated there is no current discussion of having them apply to single-family residential, though there are a number of other programs addressing energy use in single-family residential. Welsh asked how building owners are responding at this point. Bailey replied most are receptive and have questions about resources that will be provided. She noted the community understands the City’s goals and the plan is to have enough resources to make the program implementable. Chair Houdashelt asked if the City will need to invest a great deal of money to get the program up and running. Bailey replied the cost of conserved energy 4 03/18/2024 - Minutes is less than the cost of buying more energy. She stated the start-up fees and annual fees will be minimal because relationships with vendors and outside partners already exist. Chair Houdashelt commended the program and the way the task force and technical committee have been involved. Bailey noted the state is estimating a 70% compliance rate with its program and Fort Collins has a 96% compliance rate with benchmarking and this program would apply to the same buildings. She commented on the fact that there are about 900 commercial buildings less than 5,000 square feet in Fort Collins; however, the payoffs are much reduced when looking at applying BPS to those buildings. Chair Houdashelt asked if there is a reward system in place for overcompliance. Bailey replied there is no reward program, however, she noted efficiency is its own reward in terms of cost savings. Vice Chair Clark asked about the anticipated improvement level percentage if all goals were accomplished over the next ten years. Bailey replied the goal at this point is the 2030 target for an 80% greenhouse gas emissions reduction; however, there will be an ask of City Council to start looking further out. She noted energy use intensity, which is an efficiency goal, enables electrification. Vice Chair Clark asked about enforcement strategies. Bailey replied this will be similar to the current benchmarking ordinance in the Municipal Code , and penalties will be associated for noncompliance. Welsh asked if new building construction must also meet these standards. Bailey replied in the affirmative and stated new construction should easily meet the requirements. Chair Houdashelt asked about Council’s schedule and what will be asked of them. Bailey replied it will depend on Council as to what happens following the April 23rd work session. She stated the initial plan was for two work sessions, but that has been reduced to one. She noted the adoption schedule will be up to Council and will depend on what changes Council would like to see. She stated most of the funding requests will be for making rebates and incentives more robust. b. Onboarding Support for New Members – Davina Lau Davina Lau, Boards and Commissions Coordinator, stated there will be multiple onboarding sessions for new members next month, including required training for new members, and any current members who wish to attend, on April 8th and 22nd covering the Code of Conduct, the Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy, an overview of the Boards and Commissions Manual and policies. She asked members what might be helpful for new members in terms of what was missing from their onboarding and stated it will be beneficial for new members to share their areas of expertise . Ayres stated he would have liked to know a bit more about the agendas and 5 03/18/2024 - Minutes about the role of the Board. Selina stated there is an opportunity to establish some expectations regarding how meetings are run as new members come on board. Moore stated she remains confused as to how meeting topics are determined and questioned whether members can have any input. She stated training is lacking and it would have been helpful to know what the Board has been working on and is planning to work on. Lau stated she has been considering working with staff liaisons to put together welcome packets that would include work plans and annual reports for each Board. Chair Houdashelt commented on a similar packet that existed when he was on the Board previously. He also noted the work plans are developed prior to the onboarding of new members and suggested the timing might be better if the work plan could be developed after the new members are in place so they can have more input into the plan. Selina asked if Boards can make amendments to their current work plan. Lau replied amendments can be made and would likely have to be approved by Council. Selina stated the intention for agenda planning is that each meeting h as dedicated time to do agenda planning as a team. She noted agenda items are based off the work plan and Council’s calendar. Members discussed the best way to keep meetings and items limited to their allotted time. Chair Houdashelt discussed the way the first meeting with new members has worked in the past. Vice Chair Clark suggested the interview process could be utilized as more of a two-way conversation allowing for applicants to ask about the Board and its current work plan. He recommended applicants be made aware of priority items. Welsh asked if incoming members have access to the shared drive noting that would be a good resource. Selina replied in the affirmative. Lau noted the standardized interview questions for Council now include asking applicants about their expectations for serving on an advisory Board. Additionally, she noted trainings now include a section on being an effective Board member, which includes reading recent minutes and work plans. She commented on the fact that staff liaisons are now involved in the interview process, which was not the case in the past. Selina asked if other Boards do anything specific when new members come on board outside of what has already been discussed. Lau replied each Board is different, and there has been enough turnover in staffing that there is no uniform standard for how staff liaisons onboard members. She stated she does have a staff liaison training and is working on standardizing that. 6 03/18/2024 - Minutes Welsh asked if it would violate open meetings laws for members to get together to get to know one another. Lau replied a gathering would have to be strictly social and no business could be discussed. Welsh suggested a special meeting could be held to do introductions and provide basic information. Lau replied that would be totally acceptable as long as the meeting is publicly noticed. Members discussed the possibility of holding a special meeting or social gathering with new members prior to the regular April meeting. Chair Houdashelt noted the April meeting agenda plans for introductions and discussion of the work plan with new members. Moore supported having the next meeting be solely for those purposes without any other topic on the agenda. Selina stated the Board could hear a shortened presentation from Cassie Archuleta at the April meeting if desired. Selina noted the plan for the May meeting is a joint meeting with the Natural Resources Advisory Board which Councilmember Ohlson would attend and during which a presentation on connecting work plans to the City’s Strategic Plan and Council priorities and a presentation from FC Moves would occur. Welsh made a motion, seconded by Ayres, to encourage a shorter 15– 20-minute presentation from Cassie Archuleta at the April meeting to allow for more time for new Board member onboarding. Members discussed the onboarding aspects of the meeting which would include introductions and discussion of the work plan. The motion was adopted unanimously. Selina asked if there is interest in the joint meeting with the NRAB in May at the same time as the regularly scheduled AQAB meeting. Members suggested the joint meeting may be more beneficial at a later date. Selina stated a later date would likely mean the fall . She added the idea of a joint meeting in May with the new members relates to strategic planning and work plan alignment with one another and the larger organization initiatives . Members discussed the upcoming super issues Board meeting during which Board members will be able to meet one another. Vice Chair Clark noted collaborative relationships with other Boards was a focus of the AQAB. Moore questioned the efficiency of meeting with other Boards who have their own work plans. Lau noted the Boards may find overlap in their work plans and could therefore co-write a memo to Council on collaborative thoughts. Selina noted the two Boards have a great deal of overlap in their work plan priorities and stated having everyone in one place allows for context-setting from staff around strategic objectives and Council p riorities to build a strong level of alignment. Moore stated she would like to wait until after the Super Issues meeting and 7 03/18/2024 - Minutes the April meeting to decide on the May meeting. Lau noted staff liaisons will not be present at the Super Issues meeting to provide context that would be available during a joint meeting. Selina stated the Board could table the discussion and make a decision in April. c. Memo to Council Regarding State Legislation on Air Quality Chair Houdashelt asked members to weigh in on whether the memo is worth sending to Council, and if so, what edits should be made. He noted there is a somewhat lengthy process Council must undertake before any member of Council or staff provides oral or written testimony supporting a bill. Ayres stated there is a tremendous level of support for these bills from non - profits. Chair Houdashelt stated the one bill that is controversial and will likely die in committee is SB 24-159 related to Mod to Energy and Carbon Management Practices. He outlined the schedule of when each bill is set to be heard. Vice Chair Clark expressed support for sending the memo to Council and stated one thing the Board has tried to achieve for the last few years is to encourage the City to adopt operational requirements that increase the burden level for oil and gas providers, and the City has been reluctant to do that and move in that direction. He noted many of these bills are demonstrating that the state is going in that direction, which may provide some incentive for the City to do the same. Welsh outlined some of the wording suggestions he had. Members supported sending the memo to Council. Chair Houdashelt noted he is adding a status statement to each bill mentioned. Welsh made a motion, seconded by Vice Chair Clark, to send the memo to Council. The motion was adopted unanimously. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Chair Houdashelt noted Council is holding a Special Meeting this evening on meeting rules and public participation due to disruptive protests at the last meeting. 9. STAFF REPORTS • None 10. OTHER BUSINESS 8 03/18/2024 - Minutes 11. ADJOURNMENT • 8:12 pm Minutes approved by a vote of the Board on 05/20/2024