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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAir Quality Advisory Board - Minutes - 05/27/1998Air Quality Advisory Board May 27, 1998 Page 1 MINUTES CITY OF FORT COLLINS AIR QUALITY ADVISORY BOARD REGULAR MEETING NEIGHBORHOOD RESOURCES CENTER 405 CANYON AVE. MAY 27,1998 For Reference: John Fooks, AQAB Chair - 229-5225 Scott Mason, Council Liaison- 226-4824 Tom Shoemaker, Staff Liaison - 221-6263 Board Members Present John Fooks, Harry Edwards, John Schroeer, David Gallup, Mandar Sunthankar, and John Scanlon (7:10 p.m.) Board Members Absent Eric Levine, Raymond Sons, and Nancy York Staff Present Natural Resources Department: Linda Devocelle, Brian Woodruff, Sally Maggart and Aaron Fodge Guests None The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. Approval of Minutes With the following changes the minutes of the April 22, 1998 meeting were approved as written: John Fooks asked for the insertion of "Fooks speculated that..." in the third sentence on Page 4, Transportation Funding Advisory Committee Update, and to change "transportation to "transit". Fooks noted that Nancy York had volunteered to be on the committee being formed to review ambient monitoring. Review and Update Action List - New Items" resulting from May Meeting • The proposed Monitoring Committee Schedule was held over to the June meeting. • Brian has not yet had a chance to research the Poudre Valley Hospital monitoring. • A memo on alternative fuels was included in the packet. • A retreat needs to be scheduled to work on the Air Quality Action Plan. • Update on the Climate Change Project** • Presentation on regional Emissions Sticker Survey** • Update on Benchmark Study** • Update on IIM Committee * * Air Quality Advisory Board May 27, 1998 Page 2 Memo to Council onAFVProgram** Review Council Six -Month Planning Calendar • July 28: Study Session on transportation funding. This will give the Board a chance to weigh in. Fooks will provide more information to Boardmembers. INFORMATION ITEMS Report to Council on Non -Attainment Status, Brian Woodruff Brian Woodruff said the redesignation to attainment was scheduled to go to a Council's worksession but was canceled after the City Attorney's office sent a memorandum stating that Council has no authority to influence the decision to redesignate. He explained that under a state statute, the Air Quality Commission and the Air Pollution Division are required to proceed with redesignation as soon as eligibility is reached. Woodruff noted that Fort Collins has been eligible since 1993. John Schroeer said that Council should have a legal right to voice an opinion and a resolution would be a good way to do it. Woodruff said that he would check with the City Manager's office and will talk with the Air Pollution Division and the Air Quality Commission. Woodruff noted that the Board and staff have already made a joint recommendation that it would not be in the best interest for Fort Collins to redesignate. He said we need to recognize that the City will have to rely on its own resources if we choose to redesignate and staff is planning the strategy for this. David Gallupsaid that he would like to join the strategy group. Alternative Fuels -- Tailpipe Emissions, Linda Devocelle Linda Devocelle referred board members to the information in the AQAB packet addressing concerns expressed by Boardmember Eric Levine relating alternative fuel vehicles. She said that all fuels pollute to some extent, and cited the last paragraph on Page 2 of the memo for further clarification. Devocelle said that the best program for the City is to purchase the cleanest vehicles available to meet their specific application needs. She added that the City is also going in the right direction by targeting diesel buses, since clean diesel technology lags far behind gasoline. Of course the best way to reduce motor vehicle pollution is reduction of vehicle miles of travel and encouragement of proper and frequent car maintenance. Mandar Sunthankar said that it was a good, concise memo and highlighted that the best approach is to focus on big buses. Devocelle noted that the City is looking for funding for a hybrid alternative fuel bus, such as a compressed natural gas (CNG)/electric combination. She added, that if the City wanted to invest in a CNG fueling station, it would get the biggest bang for the buck by installing a station for the bus fleet. Sunthankar asked if it would be possible to convert diesel engines to gasoline. John Schroeer said that gasoline engines cannot produce enough torque to run the buses, and the CO emissions would increase. John Fooks noted that clean diesel is better than gasoline in CO emissions. Air Quality Advisory Board May 27, 1998 Page 3 John Schroeer made the motion to support current City policies and to continue with the present path of procuring the lowest emitting vehicles available for a particular application, and to continue with investigating and taking proper action on new, cleaner technologies in the diesel field. Mandar Sunthankar seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously (6-0). Staff will draft a memo to Council for the Chair's signature. Air Ouality Action Plan Revision Process, Aaron Fod e Brian Woodruff explained the policy and process regarding the biennial update of the Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP). He noted that Council directs staff on the objectives of the plan, and explained that some objectives are a good match for the Natural Resources Department while others require action by other city departments. Woodruff also suggested separating VMT (vehicle miles of travel) strategies from the regular AQAP update to place them in sync with updates of City plans related to land use and transportation including City Plan, the Transportation Master Plan, and the Transit Development Plan. Woodruff said he would be meeting with Transportation staff to develop a time line for this proposal. Aaron Fudge presented a timeline for the update of the Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP). Fudge said that, after meeting with staff, boardmembers and other departments, two timelines had emerged: 1. Consolidation of the biennial revision that would allow a full year without the distraction of a revision, and allow the Board to incorporate the most recent air quality issues into the AQAP. This would be in synch with the City's budget preparation. 2. A four year revision that would allow at least three years without a revision, and provide more evident results. Such a plan would also allow for a mid -course (at the two-year point) correction. Woodruff noted that the Council's Growth Management Committee suggested dealing with the VMT (vehicle miles traveled) reduction objective separately because it is addressed by other departments in their transportation and land use plans. He said that this would allow more time for the other objectives and ensure that the Board's recommendations come at a time when they are needed and consistent with the timing of other plans. David Gallup said that, by addressing VMT in the Action Plan, there is a gross assumption that VMT is directly contributing to CO. He added that to take it out of the Action Plan, it is essential to be comfortable that the other organizations are going to address CO in the environment. Gallup asked if the other departments' objectives match those of Natural Resources in terms of improving air quality. Woodruff responded that the overall objective is to reduce VMT growth to match population growth or lower, and this is a policy goal that works toward improving air quality. He added that another parallel goal at the regional level is to reduce the number of single occupant trips 10 percent by 2015. Air Quality Advisory Board May 27, 1998 Page 4 Mandar Sunthankar asked what the responsibility of the Natural Resources Department would be regarding the five action items related to VMT reduction. Woodruff responded that staff liaisons would be assigned to committees to guide the process, but the department would not be responsible for implementation. Woodruff said that if the Board agrees with the idea, staff will work on strengthening the department's role in VMT reduction by working with other city programs. Fooks noted that Council has charged the Air Quality Advisory Board to coordinate projects with the Planning and Zoning and Transportation Boards, and he supports the cooperation. Harry Edwards said that he has a sense of frustration that the Planning & Zoning Board is allowing the Harmony Corridor to develop at a rate that encourages people to drive more and drive further. He added that it is difficult to see them taking seriously the mandate from Council regarding VMT reduction. Woodruff noted that their perspective may be different, but they have the same instincts and desires. He added that they are somewhat restricted in dealing with pre -new land use code decision, because they were approved under the old LDGS system. Fodge asked for comments on the proposed timelines. Sunthankar said that he is not comfortable with the four year plan because it would be too disconnected. Edwards said that he would like to see the Plan attended to on an "as needed" basis where it would be discussed every month. Woodruff said the Plan is designed to provide direction to staff from Council to carry out a specific work plan over a two-year period. He added that he liked the idea of updating the Plan as needed, but it would not be consistent with the existing format because revisions would have to be taken to Council frequently. Gallup said that he would like a hybrid between the Consolidated and the Four Year proposal. He suggested setting up a four year plan with a short revisit period at two years to make sure the plan matches the budget cycle. Fooks noted that the Board has to submit an annual Work Plan to Council. He added that an annual trends report on air quality is needed for the work plan. John Scanlon asked if the changes that have been made to the Plan have been significant. Fooks responded that the last time the Plan was revised, the Board was surveyed and adjustments made were minor. Scanlon said he felt that a large review process would not be needed because of the advisory role of the Board. Edwards said that staff has done a good job on the briefing. He suggested that staff incorporate the Board's input into a hybrid schedule. Air Quality Advisory Board May 27, 1998 Page 5 Woodruff polled the Board with the following results: four members were for less frequent updates; no one voted for the two year schedule; and two members were undecided. He said that staff will return with a revised proposal. Items for Next Meeting Aeenda • Recommendation to modify the Work Plan and the Air Quality Action Plan • SIP Committee Report • Presentation by Dr. Doug Lawson on the North Front Range Regional Air Quality Study. The Larimer County Environmental Board will be invited to attend. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 9:35 p.m.