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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAir Quality Advisory Board - Minutes - 11/26/2002MINUTES CITY OF FORT COLLINS AIR QUALITY ADVISORY BOARD REGULAR MEETING 281 N. COLLEGE AVE. November 26, 2002 For Reference: Eric Levine, Chair 229-5225 Eric Hamrick, Council Liaison 226-4824 Sarah Fox, Staff Liaison 221-6312 Board Members Present Nancy York, Jim Dennison, Mandar Sunthankar, Linda Stanley, Katie Walters, and Eric Levine Board Members Absent Conrad Van Dyke and Everett Bacon Staff Present Natural Resources Department: Sally Maggart, Sarah Fox, Mark Sears, Michelle Pawar, Zoe Shark, Theresa Vandendriesche, Margit Hentschel, and Susie Gordon Utilities: Mike Smith Guests Two CSU students The meeting was called to order at 4:30 p.m. Staff and Board Presentation Boardmembers and staff honored Eric Levine's eight years of volunteer service to the Air Quality Advisory Board. Levine said it was a privilege to serve on the board. Electric Supply Policy Mike Smith, Utilities General Manager, presented the revised version of the Proposed Electric Energy Supply Policy that included suggestions from the AQAB and the NRAB. • Stanley: In item # 1 under Objectives for the Future, "equitable manner" still bothers me. Equity is thought of in terms of redistributing wealth from one person to another person. This doesn't reflect the cost of service, maybe "cost of service" can be put in parentheses. • Smith: That's fine • Stanley: I do like #3 better. The main thing is to keep rates below Xcel Energy. • Dennison: We might be able to do better than a 10 percent renewable goal. • Smith: The Electric Board is comfortable with it. If the AQAB feels it should be more aggressive, that could be included in your recommendation to Council. • Stanley: Why 10 percent? • Smith: We were looking at other cities, trying to be more proactive, and found difficulty with renewables. Wind power is not a firm source of energy; it needs to be backed up. Solar and fuel cells will probably be a better renewable source in the future. The technology is not here yet. • Dennison: It's like we doom ourselves to being stuck on fossil fuels by not requiring new homes to be built with energy saving swamp coolers that work well here. Utilities should Air Quality Advisory Board November 26, 2002 Page 2 of 4 think about charging a premium for compressor air conditioners. By cutting back on air conditioning, the City might not need to put in more turbines for peak days. • Smith: We are looking at identifying energy efficient appliances. The Electric Board is looking at an extra surcharge to fund programs with a positive benefit/cost ratio to make an impact. More work is needed on the electric rate structure to address those issues. • Levine: There is a new law in California that requires the state to double renewables to 20 percent by 2017. I think 10 percent is too low for us. • York: I keep thinking about the "behind the wallboard study". It seems builders should meet the energy code or should not be allowed to continue building. What is being done to ensure that? • Smith: It is a problem. We are working on trying to do better to educate builders and buyers to build better houses. • York: It's a long-time cost saving for homeowners. We should slow down building if the builder can't meet requirements. • Smith: That is a good recommendation for Council. • Levine: I see a real need for some reasonable milestones to keep track of progress. • Smith: That is not objectionable. The struggle is, what are they? The annual report will be reviewed every year and there will be a work plan. If rates don't go up to fund some of this, it won't happen. • York: How much could rates be raised to stay under Xcel. • Smith: There is quite a bit of room on the residential side, but commercial is close because Xcel allocates costs differently. We could raise rates 6-8 percent and not be in trouble with residential. Xcel's always asking the PUC for rate increases; that gives us more room to move and stay competitive. • Levine: We need to make a recommendation tonight because our next meeting is January 28. After some discussion, Linda Stanley made the following motion that was seconded by Katie Waters: The Air Quality Advisory Board recommends Council passes the proposed Electric Energy Supply Policy with the following change and addition: a) Under "The Environment, Objectives for the Future, #8". the percentage of renewable energy be increased to IS percent; b) Add #12 under "The Environment Objectives for the Future" to develop intermediate milestones by July 1, 2003 for #1, #2, and #8. In addition, the Board recommends that Council develops a policy that ensures compliance with the energy code with improved verification of compliance and consequences for noncompliance. The motion passed unanimously. Levine will write the memo to Council. Climate Wise Sandy Hicks, Environmental Planner, showed a video about the Climate Wise program and partners. • Hicks: Staff is working on better quantifying recommendations in 2002 and providing technical support to partners. The 2003 plan is to recruit five more partners. • Dennison: Did the EPA cut off funding support for Climate Wise? • Hicks: Yes, funding was cut back. • Dennison: Can the City provide the budget for the program. Air Quality Advisory Board November 26, 2002 Page 3 of 4 • Gordon: We have been using City funds the past two years along with some small grants. The staff is nurturing the program with the conviction that this is the way to go out and achieve large greenhouse gas reductions. • Fox: The Utilities Department is also sharing in the funding of the program. • Dennison: Are you tracking increases to offset reductions? • Hicks: Not now. We would like to talk to the partners about energy use per unit of production as more of a way to measure against what is being produced. • Stanley: This seems difficult to do at a local level because greenhouse gas is worldwide. It is likely to increase in Fort Collins with business expansion and growth. It would be difficult to quantify increases and decreases and what makes a good benchmark. • Hicks: We do need to look at it more closely. • York: How do you recruit businesses? • Fox: We started with a huge list from the Chamber and developed a recruiting process. It has become more word of mouth now that people have been hearing about the program. • York: What does the program cost? • Fox: Staff will put together program costs and report back to the board. • Dennison: Car dealerships use a lot of electric lights. • Hicks: It is easier to implement a lighting project when electric rates are high. More efficient lighting could be used. • Dennison: Is anybody else in Colorado doing this? • Fox: Not as a local program. • York: We should write a "thumbs up" in the Coloradoan for the Climate Wise Program. • Dennison: People in town need to know what the City is doing. • Fox: January 9 is the Climate Wise recognition and recruitment event. Smoking Ordinance Update Sarah Fox, Environmental Planner, gave the following information on the outcome of Council's first reading of the smoking ordinance. ✓ The law will go into effect October 1, 2003. All restaurants and attached bars will be smoke free. ✓ A business with a tavern license and 25 percent or less in food sales can have a designated smoking area, physically separated with a maximum of 50 percent seating. ✓ A 20' perimeter outside of all buildings will be smoke free. ✓ Smoking will be allowed at private functions. ✓ Bingo and bowling establishments will be required to have a designated, separate ventilated area. • Dennison: What is the impression of the board? If we are at 1 now and 10 is the epitome, where does this fall? • Walters: This would be a 7. We will be getting rid of smoking in bar and restaurants but still have a tavern issue. • Levine: There must be definitions for separate ventilations; there should be separate air flow. • Dennison: I cannot imagine a system to remove all indicators and hazards of smoking. If this is the best sell Council can come up with, there should be a referendum on this in a year or two. There should be separate areas, fully enclosed, with separate ventilation systems. • Fox: This is the same law that Boulder has and only three businesses installed separate smoking areas; the others all went smoke free because of the expense. Air Quality Advisory Board November 26, 2002 Page 4 of 4 • Dennison: There will be more choice for workers who do not smoke and those who do smoke can serve the smoking areas. This is a reasonable effort. • Fox: If a worker requests to not work in a designated smoking area, the business will have to honor that. Legalities still need to be worked out on this. • Stanley: This is a good step forward for this Council. Minutes With the following changes, the minutes of the October 29, 2002 meeting were unanimously approved: • Linda Stanley's name was spelled wrong on page 4, 3`d bullet. • Eric Levine said that Everitt Bacon had asked a question and left the room when it was answered by Levine regarding greenhouse gas as a planet wise thing and why it is important. The questions and answer were not included in the minutes. Levine's answer is that if the Rawhide Power Plant burned more coal, there would be more pollutants. It is in the best interest to stop the expansion. Review Action Log This was not done Finalize AQAB Work Plan for 2003 Walters presented the new format for the work plan, an organizational chart. She will e-mail it to staff for forwarding to the City Clerk's office along with a cover memo from Sarah Fox. AQAP Update This was not done. Short Discussion Items 1. January Retreat This will be planned at the January meeting. 2. Meeting Date A change in the meeting date will be decided at the January meeting, after the two new members are announced at the December 17 Council meeting. Agenda Planning Review Council six-month planning calendar Future Agendas: Clear bike rack The meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.