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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEnergy Board - Minutes - 12/04/2014Energy Board Meeting Minutes December 4, 2014 1 Fort Collins Utilities Energy Board Minutes Thursday, December 4, 2014 Energy Board Chairperson City Council Liaison Greg Behm, 226-6161 Ross Cunniff, 420-7398 Energy Board Vice Chairperson Staff Liaison Peter O’Neill, 288-4562 Steve Catanach, 416-2622 Roll Call Board Present Chairperson Greg Behm, Vice Chairperson Peter O’Neill, Board Members Phil Friedman, Michael Doss, Nick Michell, Stacey Baumgarn, Margaret Moore, and Peggy Plate. Board Absent Board Member John Graham (resigned on November 17, 2014) Staff Present Steve Catanach, Lucinda Smith, John Phelan, Paul Sizemore, and Katherine Martinez Guests Fred Kirsch, Craig Hibberd, John Bleem/Platte River Power Authority Meeting Convened Chairperson Behm called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Mr. Behm shared info about John Graham’s resignation from the board due to heavy travel required by his new job. Public Comment Craig Hibberd stated he had no comments but introduced himself as a former colleague of Peggy Plate’s from Salt Lake City who moved to Fort Collins recently. Comments from Utilities Executive Director Utilities Executive Director Kevin Gertig thanked the board for their outstanding work and contributions to the community. He praised board members for their expertise and accomplishments, and stated he’s grateful for an engaging board. He plans to attend meetings quarterly to give an update and synopsis of operations and projects. Approval of November 13, 2014 Minutes Chairperson Greg Behm clarified a discussion at the November meeting about approving minutes. A board member had suggested revising a word to more accurately reflect the discussion. After a discussion, the board member retracted his comments. Mr. Behm apologized for mishandling the issue and encouraged board members to voice any comments and suggestions about the minutes.  A board member inquired about the Craig power plant retirement date on page 4 of the draft November 13 minutes, listed as 2020. Board members asked John Bleem of Platte River Power Authority (PRPA) for clarification. He suggested revising the Craig retirement date, as specified in the reference scenario, to 2042. Energy Board Meeting Minutes December 4, 2014 2  A board member inquired about the first bulleted sentence “A board member inquired why PRPA wouldn’t have wind energy in the future.” Mr. Bleem suggested revising the minutes to say in the previous paragraph, “Under the reference scenario, no new resources are needed…” and in the first bulleted sentence, “Mr. Bleem stated that in the reference scenario…” Board Members agreed to approve the minutes of the November 13, 2014 meeting with the revisions specified above. No motion was made. *Board Members Phil Friedman and Peggy Plate abstained due to their absence at the November meeting. Vote: Approval of the minutes passed with 6 yeas and 2 abstentions. (Board Members will move to approve the November minutes at the January meeting.) Staff Reports  Light and Power Operations Manager Steve Catanach summarized the Climate Action Plan (CAP) public forum held at the Lincoln Center last night, December 3. About 80 citizens attended. FC Moves Program Manager Paul Sizemore stated citizens were very engaged and interested in the CAP. Staff heard comments about wanting the City to do a better job, faster.  A board member stated that it was a great event. Mr. Catanach stated that was a common comment from citizens who attended the forum.  Mr. Sizemore reported the completion of the Bicycle Master Plan, which has been in the works for the past year. City Council will discuss and adopt the plan on December 16. Staff is working on the preliminary design for the West Central Area Plan for Prospect Avenue between College and Shields. Council gave a sense of approval of the plan’s direction. The preliminary design will be finished by March, and the project is on schedule. Energy Policy (Attachments available upon request) Vice Chairman Pete O’Neill summarized recent revisions to the draft Energy Policy over the past two months. The most recent draft, version 11.2, includes headings under Policy Objectives, such as Built Environment and Energy Supply & Distribution, and Alternative & Multimodal Transportation. Chairperson Behm commented that numbers, such as “energy use by sector” will be updated for the final draft. Discussion Highlights  A board member commented that one topic in the policy, Embodied Energy of Materials, is a new area for the board. Another board member mentioned that The Implementation Principles section contains more graphs, such as the average cost of conserved energy.  A board member inquired about how to calculate citizens’ bicycle use. Mr. Sizemore stated that staff measures bicycle miles traveled, using 2020 as a timeframe, and the goal is to increase bicycle trips by 20%. Information on this topic comes from the American Community Survey that is included with U.S. Census, but information is not always complete. Staff tries to resource travel behavior surveys that involve travel diaries, which are more accurate, but costs more money. Environmental Services Director Lucinda Smith stated sign-in/sign-out sheets to track employees’ bicycle trips are a simple, low-cost way to accurately track bicycle use. Employees estimate mileage traveled.  Chairperson Behm commented that the board has crafted a document that staff can now review and refine, and check for consistency with other City adopted policies. Mr. Catanach Energy Board Meeting Minutes December 4, 2014 3 stated staff will also check that the Energy Policy is consistent with information in the Climate Action Plan (CAP), which City Council will adopt on February 17. Council will likely adopt the Energy Policy in March.  A board member inquired about an Executive Summary for citizens who might not have time to read the entire Energy Policy. Mr. Catanach explained a summary will be included and will cover basic information about the document’s intent and major points. Climate Action Plan (CAP) Presentation (Attachments available upon request) Environmental Services Director Lucinda Smith mentioned the CAP is intended to be a strategic plan, not an implementation plan. The PowerPoint presentation included a graph showing the Adjusted Business As Usual Forecast. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Objectives: 20% by the year 2020, 80% by the year 2030, 100% by the year 2050 (carbon neutrality). The CAP also includes info on shifting land use pattern to reduce transportation via automobile, and reduce length of trips, and promoting multi-modal transportation, such as bike, ride and car share (including CSU’s Zipcar program). Improving access to transportation information has already begun; one example is the app for Ride Transfort/Traffic Bluetooth Data. Strategy Areas include increasing renewable energy, such as shifting heating loads to geothermal, etc., and new, more efficient technology beyond baseboard heating. To meet goals, the climate model for the next 15 years would be 80 reduction in electricity GHG intensity, existing homes and businesses. New construction: will be 85% more efficient than current code and 45% will have enough solar photovoltaic (PV) to achieve net zero energy. The CAP’s Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) will meet on December 15. Staff will receive modelling info from PRPA, and review rate impact analysis. Council will hear about progress to date at a Work Session, so that staff can be clear about expectations and confirm the plan is headed in the right direction. Two public open houses are scheduled in late January. Ms. Smith stated a lot of work has gone into the CAP, and it’s still just opening the gate to these ideas. Discussion Highlights  A board member inquired what we’re doing with school districts. Mr. Sizemore stated it’s a challenge. “School of choice” results in more vehicle use farther from home. Board members commented it also results in a lot of idling cars due to distance and parents not wanting their children to walk home from school for safety reasons. One board member commented he can’t exit his neighborhood for a half-hour on weekday mornings because of school-related traffic.  A board member commented that coal-produced electricity would need to be cleaned up before electric vehicles become truly “clean” energy. Mr. Sizemore stated citizens in his discussion group at the public forum last night understood this.  A board member inquired about multi-family in the CAP. Ms. Smith stated it’s listed under the Commercial category. Draft 2014 Annual Report Chairperson Behm stated the board’s 2014 Annual Report is due to City Council by the end of January, and it’s traditional for the Chairperson to write the annual report. Last year he reviewed the 12 months of meeting minutes, added the action items to one section, and added other business in another section. He will include information on how each activity relates to the 2014 Work Plan.