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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAIR QUALITY ADVISORY BOARD - MINUTES - 05/19/20251 5/19/2025 - Minutes Air Quality Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Monday, May 19, 2025 – 5:30 PM 222 Laporte Avenue, Colorado River Room 1. CALL TO ORDER: 5:35 PM 2. ROLL CALL a. Board Members Present – • Dan Welsh (Chair) • Mark Houdashelt (Vice Chair) • Michael Johnson • Adam Schmidt • Michael Cheeseman • Christina Swope • Matt Ayres • Maria Moore (arrived late) b. Board Members Absent – • Howard Gebhart c. Staff Members Present – • Emily Olivo, Lead Environmental Sustainability Specialist • Jacob Castillo, Chief Sustainability Officer d. Guest(s) – • None 3. AGENDA REVIEW No changes. 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION None. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – APRIL 2025 Members discussed changes to the minutes. Schmidt made a motion, seconded by Johnson, to approve the minutes of the April 2025 meeting as amended. The motion was adopted unanimously. 6. PREVIOUS BUSINESS (**Secretary’s Note: The Board took up the following items prior to the approval of minutes.) Chair Welsh noted elections for Chair and Vice Chair will occur in June and stated he is willing to continue in the Chair role; however, Vice Chair Houdashelt does not wish 2 5/19/2025 - Minutes to continue. Chair Welsh noted he has drafted a memo from the Board in support of the Natural Areas Strategic Framework and stated the Board has received a statement from Honore Depew regarding his presentation at the last meeting. Additionally, he noted the Board had an education and outreach meeting with Micah Warners. Chair Welsh read Depew’s statement regarding how Board input was directly applied in support of informing Council for the upcoming work session related to supporting electrification efforts and 100% renewable energy goals. Jacob Castillo, Chief Sustainability Officer, introduced himself and discussed the update to Council regarding its priority around reducing climate and air pollution with an emphasis on electrification through best practices. He stated there was some policy discussion emphasizing that the current roadmap highlights Building Performance Standards and Energy Code. He noted staff is not making a recommendation to move forward with a large methane user fee as resources are being dedicated to already prioritized policy considerations. He noted a follow-up memo based on the meeting will be published next week. Castillo commented on questions from Councilmember Pignataro regarding being located next to one of the largest oil producing counties in the country and whether there is anything that can be done on a local level pertaining to that. He stated outreach and education remain valuable and one of the most important things that can be done is spending more time with the State regulatory agency and informing it of the deleterious effects of climate pollution on neighboring counties. Castillo noted Fort Collins is not currently on track to hit its 2026 or 2030 climate goals, though great work is being done. He stated it will take a significant ramp-up of incentives, regulation, education, and outreach to meet those goals. Jacob said that staff needed to be more open and honest with City Council and the community about the fact that the City is not going to achieve its climate goals. (**Secretary’s Note: The Board discussed and approved the April 2025 regular meeting minutes at this point in the meeting and Maria Moore arrived.) Members discussed the minutes of the recent education and outreach meeting held with Micah Warners and opted to vote upon the minutes at the next regular Board meeting. Chair Welsh summarized the meeting for members who were not present and noted the Air Quality Index was determined to be among the first education and outreach topics. He stated the plan is to continue working with Warners and have him establish some City initiatives around in-person engagement such as tabling at events or partnering with community-based organizations to broaden messaging. Chair Welsh outlined the drafted memo in support of the Natural Areas Strategic Framework. Members discussed whether it is appropriate for the Air Quality Advisory Board to weigh in on the topic. Moore made a motion, seconded by Ayres, to vote on whether to send the memo to Council. The motion carried. 3 5/19/2025 - Minutes Members further discussed what may need to be added to the memo to provide a relation to air quality. 0 yeas, 6 nays, 1 abstain. The motion failed. Based upon the previous vote, members concurred the Board would not send a memo on the Natural Areas Strategic Framework to Council. Chair Welsh commented on disliking the staff approach of ‘ticking a box’ to come before Boards on specific topics and requesting memos to Council. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Board Overview of Priorities and 2025 Workplan Members introduced themselves to Castillo and discussed their interest in the Board and what they would like the Board to achieve during their tenure. Castillo introduced himself and discussed his education and employment history. He commented on the importance of Boards and their impact on the City organization and community as a whole. Chair Welsh commented on the Board feeling as though staff presentations are received at the last minute which allows for little time for the Board to consider whether and how to weigh in. Members commented on the value of receiving presentations earlier so Boards can actually have some input and participate in the process of development of presentations and Council materials. Castillo noted he oversees environmental services, economic development work, and human services, which encompass the environmental, economic, and social triple bottom line, and he would like to bring that perspective to air quality. Moore stated she is encouraged by Councilmember Ohlson’s statements around Board involvement and expressed concern no actual action has occurred related to Our Climate Future and that no accountability has been taken for expenditures. She commented on the importance of research, accountability, and information. A board member commented on the fact that there are no large air quality related initiatives on Council’s agenda for the next six months, which seems concerning, particularly given we are not on track to meet 2026 or 2030 goals. Chair Welsh stated that it can be presumed that just because nothing is on Council’s agenda related to air quality does not mean nothing is happening at a City organization level which may be beyond six months out, and this is the time during which the Board should have involvement. Castillo commented on the current Our Climate Future refresh efforts and stated it would be valuable for the AQAB to be a strategic thought partner. 4 5/19/2025 - Minutes Additionally, he suggested the Board could provide valuable input for the 2050 tax strategic funding plan in terms of research and development, leveraging funds, and spending for the next 25 years. He asked if the Board would be willing to entertain non-air quality topics if it were more involved earlier in the process, which he suggested would be useful for staff. Moore stated the Board needs to be more limited in scope given it has its own work plan for 2025. Chair Welsh stated that type of thing would only be valuable for the Board if staff truly wanted the Board’s input, not if it was an exercise for staff to check a box related to providing presentations to Boards. A board member stated not every item may need a presentation in order for the Board to provide input. Castillo suggested the Building Performance Standards pilot program could be an item for the Board to consider. Chair Welsh commented on the value of thinking of things specifically, but also in terms of strategy and metrics in terms of what a successful 2025 looks like for the Board. Swope asked if the Board always only acts on staff-initiated items or whether it can initiate items. Chair Welsh stated he would like to see the Board originate initiatives or programs. Castillo noted the Board cannot direct new work, but can be thought partners in work with staff, which could then make both staff and the Board more effective in engagement with Council. b. Organizational Metrics, Analysis, and Performance Overview Castillo commented on the City’s longstanding process called Organizational Metrics, Analysis, and Performance. He stated the organization measures hundreds of quantifiable data points on a quarterly basis and over time, some of the measures have stalled. He stated the City does not necessarily have the right measures to know if the desired impact on the community is occurring. Castillo stated the City’s Strategic Plan is overhauled every five years and updated every two years. He stated one of the three environmental Strategic Plan goals, ENV1, is to implement Our Climate Future to advance our greenhouse gas energy and waste goals, reduce air pollution, and improve community resilience. He noted the main question around the goal is what the organization should be tracking to indicate to the Board and the residents of Fort Collins that the City is making a material difference in their lives and is making material progress in reducing harmful air pollution. Castillo stated he would like to have a richer discussion with the Board around the right set of measures to track the City’s contribution toward the reduction of air pollution and the right level of evaluation to help staff develop a more sophisticated set of measures. He also stated there may be a way to use the current metrics more effectively and strategically. 5 5/19/2025 - Minutes Members discussed metrics and indicators that can be impacted potentially better than AQI. 8. OTHER BUSINESS Chair Welsh stated Building Performance Standards will likely be discussed in July. Vice Chair Houdashelt discussed a presentation given to the Larimer County Board of Commissioners when it was considering the 1041 permit for PRPA’s new gas turbines which showed PRPA to be a major source of noxious emissions, though its plant is located just outside the non-attainment zone. a. Board Member Reports A board member stated he and a group of other scientists from NCAR and other organizations are meeting with Senator Hickenlooper’s office next month to discuss the impacts of the current federal administration on air quality science in general and asked the group to let him know of any items they would like to see included in the conversation. Vice Chair Houdashelt noted there are many issues currently seeking public comment, including the City’s Transit Master Plan, Front Range Rail planning, the State’s report on cumulative emissions from oil and gas, and hazardous oil and gas air pollution measurements. b. Six Month Calendar Review c. Revisit Action Items from Previous Meetings and Preview of Next Meeting 9. ADJOURNMENT ● 8:10 pm Minutes approved by a vote of the Board on 6/16/2025