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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAir Quality Advisory Board - Minutes - 06/15/2015MINUTES CITY OF FORT COLLINS AIR QUALITY ADVISORY BOARD Date: Monday, June 15, 2015 Location: Community Room, 215 N. Mason Street Time: 5:30–8:00pm For Reference John Shenot, Chair Ross Cunniff, Council Liaison 970-420-7398 Melissa Hovey, Staff Liaison 970-221-6813 Board Members Present Board Members Absent Robert Kirkpatrick Rich Fisher Tom Griggs John Shenot Mark Houdashelt Jim Dennison Vara Vissa Gregory Miller Staff Present Staff Absent Dianne Tjalkens, Admin/Board Support Melissa Hovey, Senior Environmental Planner Katy Bigner, Environmental Planner Tony Raeker, Green Built Environment Coordinator Peter Gibbons, Environmental Planner Councilmembers Present Guests Call to order: 5:33pm. Public Comments: None Review and Approval of Minutes: held to July meeting AGENDA ITEM 1: Lose-A-Watt Campaign Katy Bigner, Environmental Planner discussed the City’s participation in the Georgetown University Energy Prize Competition and the associated Lose-A-Watt campaign. The City is participating in a 2-year competition hosted by Georgetown University. It is a research project to advance energy efficiency and innovation, as well as increase residential program adoption rates. Focuses on natural gas and electric. The City advanced to semi-finals in December 2014 and launched Lose-A-Watt January 1. Benefits include cost savings, resource conservation, GHG reductions, and making homes more affordable. Prize competition platform helps spur innovation. One of 50 communities participating: size 5000–250,000. Focusing on diverse communities, some include those with fewer resources and a lot of room to grow. Replicability and scalability are focuses of outcomes. Fort Collins is well positioned to win, the prize is $5M. The process will be valuable to the community: innovation, aligning with CAP goals and Energy Policy, and it is a FortZED project. FortZED expanded to community-wide focus last year in order to leverage resources, community partnerships, etc. Finalist round moves from performance based energy Page 1 reduction, to looking at how accomplished savings: innovation, replicability, scalability, and community engagement. Focus also includes the landlord/tenant relationship to overcome the split incentive issue. Winner will be announced end of summer 2017. If we win, the $5M must be used for community benefit and energy efficiency. Public outreach has shown community wants low income sector to receive benefit. Will continue to solicit input and have focused polling/surveys next year. Having more social media outreach, tailored and targeted messaging, developing crowd funding model (businesses, organizations and homeowners can fundraise for efficiency upgrades), revamping Community Energy Challenge model with Energy Leader program, WorkWise Challenge for employees of ClimateWise partners, and other community engagement activities. Actions board members can take are to register for Monitor My Use, get a free energy assessment, rebates for products/services, energy saving tips at website (lose-a-watt.com), and advocate. Can be an energy leader and host a competition, mobilize neighborhood or school, etc. Comments/Q&A • Building energy use only or transportation too? o Buildings: natural gas and electricity. With exception of electric vehicles. • When register for Monitor My Use can tenant register? o Utility account holder can register. • Energy saving per capita? o Per account. Community energy divided by number of accounts. Don’t know how well we did first quarter yet, but hoping to report to community soon. • Is utility offering new rebates? o Have kept same program offerings/incentives. • How does someone become an energy leader? o Will start recruiting in the next few weeks. Will send email with additional info. • Outreach to large employers and others? What about CSU? PSD? o Have not had a lot of success with galvanizing with CSU, but working with PSD. Will have presentations at PTA board meetings and have competitions at schools. Could not lobby for changes to curriculum, but will get individual schools involved. JouleBug app has gaming feature. For those who compete, winning is more important than prize. App also has local food and transportation elements. • Renter/landlord relationship: the landlord spends the money and who gets the benefit? If renter does upgrades might not see benefit. Also, renter doesn’t usually ask how much the utilities are. One way to solve that dilemma is to compel the landlord to tell the tenant how much the utilities will be. o Have had discussions around landlord licensing. May also look at mandates. Can find out more. o Would close loop on split incentive. Effective cost becomes transparent. May not have effect during campaign, but big untapped efficiency area. o Change culture. Young people will demand efficiencies. o Make comments about energy disclosure mandates under Energy Policy and any further action the board takes around CAP. • When would we go to finals? o Probably know April 2017 if advanced. Georgetown website is supposed to show dashboard of progress. There is stiff competition. ACTION ITEM: Board comments about energy disclosure mandates for landlords should be addressed to the Energy Policy update. AGENDA ITEM 2: AQAB Priorities June through September Mark Houdashelt, Vice-Chair, lead the board in a discussion on work priorities for the next four months. Members discussed the following board priorities:  Energy Policy  Downtown Plan Page 2  Climate Action Plan  Transportation Air Quality Impacts Manual  Dust Prevention and Control. Planning ahead to be better prepared and know what to expect in meetings. John and Melissa reviewed priority items board members provided. Next meeting to focus on Energy Policy and Downtown Plan and write a memo to Council. In September focus on Dust and Transportation Manuals. Members will be given resources to do additional studies in order to make better decisions/recommendations to Council. Pattern is to introduce subject one month, have deep discussion next month, and take action the following month. Used the Council 6-Month Agenda Planning Calendar to select topics for the next few months. Will continue to get updates on other topic areas. Will forego staff presentations unless they relate to key items. Comments/Q&A • Like the idea of using 3-month period to see how the pattern works. • Presentations have brought information to our attention, but hard to immediately write a recommendation. Not able to get into details of implementation or what happens next. Want to know the AQAB role as well. o Ex: Energy disclosure was idea brought up tonight. We can do more research and by August be prepared to write a recommendation to the Energy Board. o Would have some brief presentations so members know what is new in the City. • Have enjoyed the general presentations at board meetings. Broad stroke and generalized, but part of outreach of City to reach as many citizens as possible. o Tonight’s presentation doesn’t directly relate to air quality but we see the air quality benefit. We have a work plan with goals for the year. Can we have a parking lot for other items?  When other items of interest come along that can affect the board Melissa will ask the board to have a presentation. o For major or complex issues can use this method, but for simpler items that still might need action (slam dunkers) can take action in the same meeting. Melissa and chair can decide if major issues. Won’t have as much action taken if use the three-month system for all topics.  Might be dynamic of taking less action. Another concern is if miss a meeting, how do members get caught up on deep discussion on which will be taking action the following month?  Would request chair or vice-chair get members caught up. • Would be helpful to know if presentation is informational, action items, etc. Also, if action item want to know role and time frame to respond to other board or Council. Need to know if time sensitive. o Agenda says if action, information, etc. with date to Council. o If going to tackle substantive issue, would like to have preparation time, especially if major decision. o Would like to know homework. Read links provided in email, but need more clarification. • Hearing that in general would like more info on expectations, due dates, why, etc. ACTION ITEM: Melissa will bring ideas for improvement to John Shenot, chair. Energy Policy Melissa showed members how to get to Energy Board website. Public comment period on the draft Energy Policy is open through June 22. Council Work Session September 22 to discuss public comments. Will come back for adoption. Expectation is that because the Energy Board gave presentation and wants feedback that the board will provide recommendation. John Shenot sent thorough email to Energy Board after their presentation. Homework to read email, read Energy Policy, and at next meeting have discussion on how Policy interacts/aligns with CAP, Air Quality Plan, etc. Will have John Phelan and Peter O’Neill come to August meeting for comments. • Energy Policy vice-chair suggested giving recommendations directly to Council. What is Energy Board looking for from AQAB? If will not make changes to draft policy, then should not spend next two meetings on this topic. Page 3 o Melissa will find out more and let board know results. o Draft Energy Policy is in member packet. ACTION ITEM: Read email from John Shenot and draft Energy Policy. Downtown Plan Downtown Plan and Old Town Neighborhood Plan have no documents to review yet. Past major initiatives like this were brought to the board one step before final and the board was frustrated at lack of opportunity to advise on analyzing impacts to air quality. Downtown Plan has potential to be next plan where can influence transportation, energy efficiency in buildings, and aligning to CAP. Considering an EcoDistrict in this plan. Expectation is for members to try to get to upcoming public outreach events. If cannot attend, there are background documents. Implementation will entail significant infrastructure investments. Planners have already set up subcommittees under a variety of topic areas with staff and community members. Tony will be on Energy and Environment subcommittee and will give updates to the board. Melissa will send link when document is released. Members can look at old Downtown Plan to understand context. Downtown Plan will be closely coordinated with Old Town Neighborhoods Plan. Homework: get familiar with plan and changes. Adoption scheduled for about one year from now. Will be pushing for alignment with CAP. • Melissa will find out who is on Transportation and Parking subcommittee and ask for reports to board. And will determine scope of Urban Design subcommittee. • Are subcommittee meetings closed or open to public? o Melissa will find out. Dates are not on website. o Energy and Environment subcommittee attended was collaborative. Mostly introductions to plan and what people thought they wanted to implemented. CAP was brought up.  Led by Brian Janonis, recently retired from Utilities.  Members of public are included on subcommittees.  Tried to sign up for neighborhood plan subcommittee, but no response. • Follow up. ACTION ITEM: Members should read the old Downtown Plan and familiarize themselves with proposed changes. Climate Action Plan Implementation Staff has spent time with Institute for Built Environment, part of CSU. Facilitated 2-day strategic planning session and came up with six strategic initiatives to take action on. Melissa will have more to report next month. Staff needed time to outline implementation. Citizen advisory group will begin meeting in July. Will be technically focused, external expertise to help with technical issues. Transportation Air Quality Impacts Manual On hold. Will pick back up in the fall. Dust Prevention and Control Will have first meeting of invited individuals, regulatory people, medical community, citizens who have been impacted, etc. Starting with framework of existing manual. Group will do additional work with manual and ordinance. Have started collecting field data, which will go through August. Data collection sheet has been updated with consideration to board feedback. • Will field data answer questions you need answered? o Hoping. Wondering if dust control costs more, will it really increase water use, will it conflict with stormwater requirements, will it have a real impact on air quality? Have cost data. Looking at contracts before and after. Most already have some dust control built into them. • Dust measurement? Page 4 o Can use equipment (dust track)?  Yes. ACTION ITEM: Melissa and Jim will coordinate use of dust track equipment offline. Regional Air Quality Council Ozone non-attainment group. Will attend Transportation Board meeting. AQAB members are invited to attend. Could cancel July meeting and attend this instead. AGENDA ITEM 4: Other Business Oil and Gas Reports and Forum • Mark attended forum last week. Had presenters on studies the City had commissioned on health impacts of oil and gas. Missed these, but saw presentation of company that did monitoring. Looked at areas around Fort Collins and in Weld that is more heavily impacted. Only thing they found significantly higher there was one of the hydrocarbons that is not considered a health risk. Everything else in normal range in Weld and Fort Collins. This was update. Studies are still underway. o Heard that difficult to separate factors: cannot determine sources of pollutants. Inconclusive. o Those pollutants common to oil and gas and transportation, downtown was worse for car exhaust. Some pollutants were higher near storage tank than near well sites, but not high enough to be health risk. Nothing major above EPA limits. Review of City Council 6 Month Agenda Planning Calendar • June: Community Recycling Center • July: Time of Use Electric Rates Pilot Study • August: Downtown Plan Update • August: Affordable Housing Strategic Plan • September: CAP Work Session • August: Annexation o What happens in terms of transportation? Measuring VMT? In all plans would be good to know VMT baseline to measure change. Re-coded land? Greenfield development? Neighborhoods come in to annexed land but other amenities are not there, including ones that tie into GHG goals. o Area thinking of developing that was annexed. Was assumed to be high density, but also wanted to look at lower density development from TBL. Environmental standpoint, better for low density. TBL better for high density. If high density, how to pay for infrastructure? o Ross Cunniff gave staff direction to look at north east quadrant—last developable area. July Agenda • Downtown Plan and draft Energy Policy ACTION ITEM: Circulate comments on draft Energy Policy via email before July meeting. ACTION ITEM: Melissa will check on open board seat status. ACTION ITEM: Mark will ask Melissa about the Environmental Services Strategic/Action Plan. Meeting Adjourned: 7:20pm Next Meeting: July 20 Page 5