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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAir Quality Advisory Board - Minutes - 07/17/2017MINUTES CITY OF FORT COLLINS AIR QUALITY ADVISORY BOARD Date: Monday, July 17, 2017 Location: Colorado River Room, 222 Laporte Ave. Time: 5:30–8:00pm For Reference Mark Houdashelt, Chair Ross Cunniff, Council Liaison 970-420-7398 Cassie Archuleta, Staff Liaison 970-416-2648 Board Members Present Board Members Absent Mark Houdashelt, Chair Jim Dennison Vara Vissa, Vice-Chair Gregory Miller Harry Edwards Chris Wood Greg Clark Tom Griggs Staff Present Cassie Archuleta, Staff Liaison Lindsay Ex, Climate Program Manager Molly Saylor, Environmental Data Analyst Travis Paige, Utilities Community Engagement Manager Guests Matt Tribby Arsineh Hecobian (scheduled to be confirmed as Board member on 7/18/17) Call to order: 5:30 pm Public Comments None Approval of Minutes There were not enough Board members to approve minutes. AGENDA ITEM 1: Board Member Introductions A brief introduction to AQAB’s newest board members Arsineh Hecobian (who is scheduled to be approved by City Council as an official member on 7/18/17) and Greg Clark was originally planned; however, since so many Board members were absent from the meeting, it was decided to perform introductions at next month’s meeting. AGENDA ITEM 2: Building Tour Travis Paige, Utilities Community Engagement Manager, hosted an informational tour of the 222 Laporte Ave. Building, which recently received a LEED v4 Platinum designation from the U.S. Green Building Council. It is the first building in Colorado and the fourth building in the world to achieve this status and its design focuses on water and energy efficiency, materials, alternative transportation, project site, and indoor occupant health and well-being. AGENDA ITEM 3: Climate Inventory Update Lindsay Ex, Climate Program Manager, and Molly Saylor, Environmental Data Analyst, provided an update regarding the 2016 climate inventory, forecasts, and the Climate Innovation Fund. 2016 Data Presentation Molly Saylor presented results from the analysis of 2016 Community Carbon Inventory Data. She explained how greenhouse gas inventories provide a way of calculating the community’s relevant emissions so that planners can track the progress made toward climate action goals and monitor compliance with protocols and commitments. The Climate Action Plan uses 2005 as a baseline year and the community is striving to reduce carbon emissions to 20% below 2005 levels by 2020 and 80% by 2030, with the goal of being carbon neutral by 2050. The five key emission sectors, their sources, and their weighting in the overall inventory, were summarized. Data show that carbon emissions are decreasing (12% below 2005 in 2016) despite an increase in population and GDP. The Board was also given an introduction to the Fort Collins Climate Dashboard, a web site that summarizes emission data and provides a snapshot of the City’s progress towards goals (http://ftcollinscap.clearpoint strategy.com). The official 2016 Inventory Status Report will be available in the next few weeks. The next step for Fort Collins is to make the transition from using the Iclei Protocol to the Global Protocol for Community- Scale GHG Emission Inventories (GPC) for 2017. 2016 Data Discussion ● Arsineh asked for clarification on any uncertainties that should be considered with this data, for example, uncertainty due to natural phenomena, etc.? ○ Lindsay stated that sensitivity analyses are currently underway to identify factors that contribute the most to the variability of the outcome. The Climate Program has confidence levels for all projections that will be presented. ● Mark asked if the Climate Program has looked at the GHG emission reductions presented in the Utilities Time of Use (TOU) rate proposal. ○ Molly responded that they’ve modeled the TOU rate structure, and it looks like it will reduce emissions by approximately 9000 metric tons. Since the overall goal is a 235,000 metric ton reduction, it looks like the TOU structure could play significant role. ● Mark expressed concern with the shift in confidence in reaching 2020 goals. The Climate Action Plan (framework) previously suggested that we would achieve the 2020 goals through programs already planned for implementation prior to 2015, but it’s looking much more difficult now. ○ Lindsay suggested that this shift in confidence is rooted in the advancement of data analysis that’s occurred since the goals were initially set. As data has become more accessible and more thorough analyses have been performed, it has become clear that it will be a challenge to meet 2020 goals. She suggests that continual reassessment and evolution will be necessary. ● Greg asked if PRPA plans to move away from coal and toward natural gas. ○ Lindsay explained that customized resource planning is underway for Fort Collins. A study is currently being funded to determine how communities can change and assess their own resource portfolios to reach goals sooner. Preliminary results will be reported at the end of the year, which might be a good time to invite the PRPA to a meeting for a review. Projections Presentation Lindsay presented Fort Collins’ current projections for reaching CAP goals. The general conclusion of the projection is that if we do nothing differently until 2020, emissions will increase due to population growth and goals may be difficult to attain; however, new opportunities have been identified to help reach the 2020 goals. Co- generation (turning waste to energy) at the Drake Water Treatment Facility (DWRF), the Trip Reduction Program and Community Organics Recycling Program are a few such opportunities that hold a lot of potential. PRPA is also looking at using more wind energy, which is very cost effective and would have a huge impact on emission reductions. In addition, ClimateWise, City/Transportation Plans and Inventory Protocol review are not currently included in the projections, but would likely have a positive impact. A brief overview of the carbon sequestration study was also provided. Suggested action items resulting from the study include planting drought- resistant trees, further development of an organics waste program, riparian restoration and preparation for the onset of the emerald ash borer. The next step is for City staff to determine how carbon sequestration fits into Fort Collins’ overall inventory. Projections Discussion ● Vara asked what the general opinion among city staff is with regards to meeting CAP goals and achieving sustainability as our population, GDP, etc. continue to grow as projected. Is there a cap to growth that has been calculated or considered? ○ Lindsay stated that Fort Collins staff is committed to the triple bottom line and how this line evolves over time will be something that the city continues to grapple with. There is a build-out population of 235,000 - 250,000, and though they’ve tried to calculate topping out points, things will continue to change, and we will need to adapt. ● Mark expressed concern that we are too focused on 2020 and asked if there are long-term initiatives that are being ignored. ○ Lindsay answered that the City is discussing how to address both at once. Longer term solutions, such as promoting the purchase of energy efficient homes and implementing more initiatives for local businesses, are underway. Innovate Fort Collins Lindsay discussed the upcoming Innovate Fort Collins Public Pitch Night, which solicited external project proposals with a focus on energy, waste and transportation to assist with CAP goals. Proposals will be selected to move forward to the public pitch night on August 3rd during the upcoming week. Staff is seeking judges from the CAC and CAP-related boards and commissions, as well as citizen members from SI (strategic initiative) teams to serve on a panel. Chris Wood previously expressed an interest in volunteering and was nominated with no objections. Arsineh offered to be a backup for Chris. 1. Board Updates ● The HomeWise presentation may be rescheduled for next month, if the AQAB expresses interest. ● Mark re-sent the radon recommendation to Council as previously discussed. ● Mark provided a TOU rate update and stated that Council plans to study the use of a TOU rate structure in conjunction with a tiered rate structure as there are potential advantages to coupling the two, especially with regards to the effects on low-income customers. More details will be provided as they become available. Staff Follow Up: Cassie will locate and forward the Counci worksession follow-up memo to the Board. ● Jim, Cassie and Mark recently met with Ellison Carter to discuss the midterm offer. Mark suggested that the AQAB may want to consider the electrical requirements of radon mitigation fans in the decision-making process undertaken by the proposed radon workgroup. ● Josh Joswick, with the Earthworks Oil and Gas Accountability Project, has reached out to the Board with interest in discussing the issue of oil and gas gathering lines. If the Board would find it useful, Cassie could arrange for him to present to the AQAB. ● The CDPHE-APCD has submitted a proposal to the State of Colorado related to reasonably available control technology (RACT) for oil and gas facilities. The forum will be held in Denver on 7/20/17 at 9:00 am. Mark will provide more information regarding this event via email and has asked for suggestions for a more formal method of tracking such events. Arsineh frequently works with CDPHE and indicated that she will try to attend the meeting and report back to the board. ● Mark had meeting with Tom Moore, John Shenot and Rich Fisher to discuss their ideas about the direction that they believe the AQAB should be moving in. They want to push the City to further incentivize carbon neutrality. For example, they’d like to see all city contracts award bonus points or offer the purchase of offsets to become carbon neutral. Mark plans to meet with them on a monthly basis and report back to the board on the topics discussed. ● Vara requested an update on the City’s dark skies program. Travis stated that the city is working to test LED street lights within communities, but has received some pushback from citizens. The main complaint is that lights are too bright and too white. In addition, LED street lights are still extremely expensive; the City is waiting for their price point to drop before any widespread implementation can be planned. Staff Updates None 3. Future Actions and Agenda Items ● 2018 AQAB Work Plan - must be submitted at the end of September. Mark will create an initial draft for members to add comments to; members should review the draft and be prepared to discuss their thoughts and possible changes at the August meeting. A final draft will be approved at the September meeting. ● The region’s O3 non-attainment status was discussed as a matter that requires attention in the future. The Board grappled with prioritizing this issue, noting that while it’s important to continue to make recommendations to reduce precursor emissions, this is a regional issue and, to some extent, out of Fort Collins’ control. ● Cassie stated that the City is working with NCAR to look at measured and modeled data, and a report will be completed by the end of July. A presentation by NCAR for a joint AQAB/Larimer County Environment and Science Advisory Board meeting has been previously discussed. Meeting Adjourned: 8:19 pm Next Meeting: August 21, 2017 ______________________________ Signed by Chair