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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/17/2025 - AIR QUALITY ADVISORY BOARD - AGENDA - Regular Meeting Air Quality Advisory Board Monday, November 17, 2025 5:30 – 8:00 PM 222 Laporte Ave | Colorado River Room (first floor) Meeting link for hybrid access (requires internet access): fcgov.com/aqab-teams-meeting 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. ROLL CALL 3. AGENDA REVIEW 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 6. PREVIOUS BUSINESS 1. Board member check-ins reminder 7. NEW BUSINESS A. Discussion with Councilmember Ohlson; 5:45-6:45 The board will meet with Councilmember Ohlson to say thank you and farewell. (Discussion) B. 2026 Workplan; 6:45- 7:45 Dan Welsh, AQAB Chair, will lead a discussion reviewing the draft 2026 AQAB work plan. The board will vote to approve the 2025 work plan. (Discussion and Decision) 8. OTHER BUSINESS ● Board Member Reports ▪ Air Quality Monitoring Advisory Committee (AQMAC) Update ● Six Month Calendar Review https://www.fcgov.com/cityclerk/planning-calendar.php ● Revisit action items from previous meetings & preview of next meeting City Websites with Updates: ● Air Quality Advisory Board webpage: https://www.fcgov.com/cityclerk/boards/air-quality-advisory ● Our Climate Future: https://ourcity.fcgov.com/ourclimatefuture 9. ADJOURN Air Quality Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Monday, October 20, 2025 – 5:30 PM 222 Laporte Avenue, Colorado River Room 1. CALL TO ORDER: 5:33 PM 2. ROLL CALL a. Board Members Present – • Dan Welsh (Chair) • Mark Houdashelt (Vice Chair) • Howard Gebhart • Maria Moore • Adam Schmidt • Michael Cheeseman • Michael Johnson • Christina Swope (arrived late) b. Board Members Absent – • None c. Staff Members Present – • Selina Lujan de Albers, Staff Liaison d. Guest(s) – • None 3. AGENDA REVIEW No changes. 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION None. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER 2025 Members discussed changes to the three sets of minutes prior to voting on each one individually. Houdashelt made a motion, seconded by Schmidt, to approve the minutes of the August 2025 meeting as amended. The motion was adopted unanimously with Chair Welsh abstaining. THE MOTION CARRIED. Gebhart made a motion, seconded by Moore, to approve the minutes of the September 2025 meeting as amended. The motion was adopted unanimously with Houdashelt, Schmidt, Cheeseman, and Johnson abstaining. 1 10/20/2025 - Minutes THE MOTION CARRIED. Gebhart made a motion, seconded by Swope, to approve the minutes of the September 2025 joint meeting with the Natural Resources Advisory Board as amended. The motion was adopted unanimously with Schmidt, Cheeseman, and Johnson abstaining. THE MOTION CARRIED. 6. PREVIOUS BUSINESS a. Additional memos for consideration to Council Lujan de Albers asked if the Board is interested in submitting a memo of support to Council regarding the Building Energy Code updates or Our Climate Future. She noted a memo regarding the Building Energy Code updates would need to be completed by the next Board meeting. Moore expressed support for sending memos about both the Building Energy Code and Building Performance Standards. She expressed specific concern about the lack of movement in terms of Our Climate Future. It was clarified that the Building Energy Code updates apply to new construction whereas the Building Performance Standards apply to existing buildings. Vice Chair Houdashelt suggested it may be more valuable to direct a memo regarding Our Climate Future to the new Council. Chair Welsh noted the Building Performance Standards memo is the more timely of the potential memos given Council’s upcoming work session, with the next more pressing topic being Building Energy Code updates, which is going before Council in December. He noted the Our Climate Future memo could occur at any time and concurred with directing it to the new Council. Gebhart stated he would like to recommend that Council adopt the local amendments as part of the Code adoption. Chair Welsh noted he was absent from the meeting during which Building Energy Code updates were discussed and asked for another member to draft a memo. Lujan de Albers discussed Code requirements related to radon and mitigation systems. Moore read a memo from the Chief Building Official to Council regarding the adoption of the 2024 Building Codes and local amendments, including those related to EV charging, accessory dwelling units, the Energy Code, water demand calculator, and temporary emergency uses. She concurred with Gebhart regarding recommending adoption of the local amendments. Moore volunteered to draft a memo in support of the updated Building Codes with the proposed local amendments. Members concurred with directing a memo regarding Our Climate Future to 2 10/20/2025 - Minutes the new Council. b. Board Member check-ins (**Secretary’s Note: This discussion was held after the completion of New Business.) Lujan de Albers listed the members whose terms expire in March 2026: Vice Chair Houdashelt, Cheeseman, Moore, and Ayres, who is no longer able to serve on the Board. She noted any of those individuals would need to reapply if they are interested in remaining on the Board. Chair Welsh stated he and Lujan de Albers would like to do a short check-in with each Member. Lujan de Albers noted those check-ins could happen with Davina Lau in the City Clerk’s Office as well. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Board Review of Building Performance Standards Memo to Council Moore asked what parts of Building Performance Standards (BPS) apply to existing buildings. Vice Chair Houdashelt replied all of the buildings that will be part of BPS have been monitoring and reporting on their energy performance over the past few years and BPS would require them to improve their energy performance. He noted targets have been set for different building types. Chair Welsh clarified BPS would establish a regulatory approach to upgrades to existing buildings. Members reviewed the BPS presentation provided at the September joint meeting with the Natural Resources Advisory Board. Gebhart noted the standards are not prescriptive; therefore, the building operators can choose the pathway desired to meet the targets. Moore stated the presentation did not outline any action. Chair Welsh stated there will be different actions for different buildings, different applications, and different efficiency targets. Vice Chair Houdashelt commented on the fact that few BPS programs require greenhouse gas emissions reductions; however, he noted the State BPS program has the option for larger buildings to meet a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target instead of meeting an energy target. Swope asked about the ‘carrots and sticks’ related to the BPS program. Chair Welsh replied the carrot is to be in compliance with the regulatory requirements and noted there are other incentives, financing options, and rebates, as well as lower energy costs and healthier indoor air. He noted there are penalties for non-compliance. 3 10/20/2025 - Minutes Swope questioned whether the penalties are more than the upfront costs of changing building systems. Moore commended the pathways model but expressed concern about what is actually being done. Members discussed the memo drafted by Chair Welsh. Specific items that were discussed included incentives for early adopters or those who go above targets. It was noted that the pushback on those incentives related to energy cost savings being enough of an incentive. Members discussed edits to the memo. Chair Welsh noted much of the original content was the result of his conversations with Lujan de Albers and Katherine Bailey, Utilities Energy Services Program Manager. Members specifically discussed whether to recommend pushing the original 2030 timeline to leave in a statement related to moving forward with only delays to the previously established timeline that are deemed absolutely necessary. Members ultimately opted to leave in the statement related to necessary delays. Vice Chair Houdashelt noted he discussed including greenhouse gas reduction options with Katherine Bailey and her main concerns were that Council may want to require another round of community outreach if those options were to be added in now. Additionally, she expressed concern that if building owners were given a greenhouse gas reduction option to try to get them to electrify, they may go from natural gas to inefficient baseboard heating, though he noted the cost of running that would be much higher. He noted the State does provide that option for the larger buildings; therefore, those larger buildings in the city will have the option. He stated it seems to make sense to then offer the option to the smaller buildings; however, it could be added later if it will further delay implementation. Gebhart expressed concern about including a greenhouse gas emissions reduction option as it may prevent building owners from making energy efficiency improvements. Johnson stated he was considering the opposite problem if there are only energy efficiency goals. Gebhart stated if the goal of BPS is to make buildings energy efficient, independent of the energy source, then it may not make sense to include greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. He commented on the Fort Collins Sustainability Group’s summary of the proposed BPS program which included a suggestion for adding a greenhouse gas pathway. Chair Welsh noted electrification is one potential pathway or addition, but BPS does not specifically target electrification on its own. Members agreed to add a suggestion related to a possible greenhouse gas emissions reduction pathway. Chair Welsh suggested language such as ‘we 4 10/20/2025 - Minutes additionally encourage the consideration of overall energy usage as well as climate impacts when determining compliance options.’ Vice Chair Houdashelt commented on the State BPS program, noting there is a hierarchy of options. Gebhart suggested language such as ‘this can be achieved through compliance options that are based on greenhouse gas intensity or greenhouse gas percentage reduction goals.’ Members went on to discuss additional changes to the memo wording and ways to emphasize the value of adopting the program sooner rather than later to help meet Council priorities. Lujan de Albers read the draft of the memo as amended and members made additional edits. Gebhart made a motion, seconded by Schmidt, to approve the final wording of the memo and to send it to Council. The motion was adopted unanimously. b. 2026 Work Plan Chair Welsh noted the Work Plan needs to be approved by the November meeting. Lujan de Albers noted Councilmember Ohlson will be attending the November meeting prior to his departure from Council. Chair Welsh stated he would update the 2025 Work Plan for 2026 and distribute it for edits. Lujan de Albers noted keeping the Work Plan broader allows for flexibility throughout the year. Gebhart suggested adding the tracking of State and Federal regulatory initiatives and their impact on the City to the draft Work Plan. 8. OTHER BUSINESS a. Board Member Reports Vice Chair Houdashelt noted there is an ozone attainment forum on October 30th to replace the July 25 event that was cancelled. Swope reported on attending the radon event at the library and stated renter education on the topic should be more readily available. Lujan de Albers noted the Healthy Homes staff team could return to the Board to discuss the next steps in the program which would include Board input on education and outreach related to radon. ● Air Quality Monitoring Advisory Committee (AQMAC) Update 5 10/20/2025 - Minutes Chair Welsh stated it could be valuable to have a presentation about the air quality study conducted by CSU that was completed over the summer, which was the subject of the most recent AQMAC meeting. b. Six Month Calendar Review c. Revisit Action Items from Previous Meetings and Preview of Next Meeting 9. ADJOURNMENT ● 8:03 pm Minutes approved by a vote of the Board on 11/XX/2025 6 10/20/2025 - Minutes Work Plan City of Fort Collins Air Quality Advisory Board 2025 Work Plan The Air Quality Advisory Board’s (AQAB’s) primary purpose is to advise the Fort Collins City Council on policies, plans, programs, and ordinances that impact the City’s air quality. The structure, functions, and requirements for Board and Commissions are described in Article III of Chapter 2 of the City Code. A more detailed statement of the Board’s purpose and function is available in Section 2-103. The AQAB may also coordinate with and advise other City boards, City staff, and regional authorities on air quality issues. When appropriate, the AQAB will advise City Council on any opportunities that may arise for the City to participate in and influence air-quality-related decisions affecting Fort Collins but falling under the jurisdiction of county, regional, state or national air quality authorities. Regional issues of particular importance include: ● Ozone mitigation ● Air quality monitoring (e.g., ozone precursors, methane, air toxics, particulate matter) ● Climate change mitigation and adaptation ● State legislation and regulations ● Emissions from oil and gas operations Expected AQAB Work Plan Tasks for 2025: ● Provide input to City staff and advise City Council on policies and programs related to the Our Climate Future plan's goals and implementation, including its greenhouse gas mitigation, zero waste and renewable energy goals for 2026, 2030 and 2050, and its environmental justice and climate resiliency initiatives. ● Support City staff and develop recommendations to improve indoor air quality, especially through enhancements to the City's Healthy Homes Program. This could include: o expanded testing and mitigation for radon; o reducing the use of natural gas for heating, hot water, and cooking; and o eliminating exposure to emissions of harmful chemicals commonly found in household products. ● Provide recommendations to City Council and staff regarding programs that impact outdoor and/or indoor air quality, such as: o Building Performance Standards and building electrification; o mitigating the effects of wildfire smoke through safety and preparedness; o update of 2019 Air Quality Plan; o investigating regulatory approaches to promote the electrification of lawn and garden equipment; and o protecting, managing, and enhancing the City's urban forest. ● Support City goals for improvement of outdoor air quality and greenhouse gas reduction due to energy generation by reviewing current and proposed operations at Platte River Power Authority (PRPA) and supporting operations that align with City/Council priorities. ● Advise on ways to reduce air pollution from the City’s transportation systems. ● Examine ways for the City to improve public outreach and education to better inform the public about air quality conditions and their health impacts, grow public support for air quality improvement programs and incentivize behavior change that improves indoor and outdoor air quality and public health. ● Advise City Council on midcycle budget offers related to air quality and climate change. ● Maintain connection with the Air Quality Monitoring Advisory Committee. ● Advocate on behalf of vulnerable populations to protect against the health impacts of air pollution. ● Address unanticipated air quality issues and respond to requests from City Council for advice on any air quality relevant topics.