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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAir Quality Advisory Board - Minutes - 12/18/2017MINUTES CITY OF FORT COLLINS AIR QUALITY ADVISORY BOARD Date: Monday, December 18, 2017 Location: Colorado River Room, 222 Laporte Ave. Time: 5:30–8:00 p.m. 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 Arsineh Hecobian None Mark Houdashelt, Chair Harry Edwards Chris Wood Tom Griggs Vara Vissa, Vice-Chair Gregory Miller Jim Dennison Greg Clark Staff Present Cassie Archuleta, Staff Liaison Guests Rebecca Everette, Sr. Environmental Planner. Call to Order: 5:35 p.m. Approval of Minutes Tom moved and Harry seconded a motion to approve the October minutes with corrections. Motion passed, 9-0-0. ____________________________________________________________________________________ AGENDA ITEM 1: Oil and Gas Setbacks Rebecca Everette, Sr. Environmental Planner presented overview of proposed code changes under consideration relating to setbacks for new development near oil and gas operations. Presentation The City is considering several code changes related to oil and gas development. Current proposals include:  Remove references to the 2013 hydraulic fracturing moratorium.  Increase setback requirements for new development projects near existing, active oil and gas operations from 350 ft. to 500 ft.  Reduce setback requirements for new development projects near plugged and abandoned wells from 350 ft. to 100 ft. Fort Collins does not have authority over the permitting or regulating of oil and gas wells; that is done by the State. Fort Collins can determine reciprocal setbacks, which are the distances between new land development and existing oil and gas operations. Current code specifies a 350-ft. buffer for new development. Proposed code change would increase to 500 ft. for active wells to be consistent with the state standards for new wells. A second proposed code change would reduce the reciprocal setback for plugged and abandoned wells to 100 feet. Discussion  Do we keep an inventory of these wells? o The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) keeps maps of wells, but accuracy of older locations is questionable.  What do the 20 known plugged and abandoned wells in Fort Collins look like? o Plugged and abandoned wells look like the surface. They are plugged below the ground with a possible surface marker. They are capped below the surface, usually covered by grass and difficult to identify. Surveyor’s would be able to find, but not totally obvious. States have pulled together documentation and they continue to update this documentation on both active and inactive wells.  Why do the wells in Weld County have a wall around them? o These are sound, light and noise barriers required by the They are required to be 32-ft. barrier walls. The well’s operating hours are curtailed if located near neighborhoods.  What is the meaning behind the 500-foot selected state standards? Would 250 feet make a difference in air quality? o Possibly. Depending upon the site, the reduction of the concentration of an air contaminant can be significant. A health risk assessment is being performed using some of the newer data from a front range study.  There is a school near Greeley. That school building is the distance indicator to the well, with a playground being in between. This makes the distance closer to the individuals, children. Property line indicator seems more beneficial. o The Land Use Code uses the building as the indicator. We have worked with builders to use the property line and are considering changing the code to reflect this as well.  Are wells in clusters or individual? o Fort Collins generally has one well per site. Some new well pads in other communities have upwards of 30 wells.  The 500-ft. setback may be more appropriate for small communities. Has 1,000 ft. been suggested for high occupancy uses (e.g., hospitals, schools, nursing homes)? o This will be considered in the code updates.  Exposures and risks need to be evaluated as concrete will degrade over time. Can we place a requirement for buyers to know what is around them? Press the Developers to notify buyers? Perform their due diligence? o The City currently requires notification on the subdivision plat. However, this may not be the best way to notify future property owners, so staff is exploring alternatives. o Maybe the history of a well should be placed in the property deed, as it passes from owner to owner.  Who is monitoring the abandoned wells? o Soil and gas monitoring requirements were built in beyond the State’s specifications for the Water’s Edge development. Previous plugged and abandoned wells are not monitored. Longmont is looking into monitoring their plugged and abandoned wells.  What is the schedule for City Council? o This is not on the six-month calendar as yet. Staff are meeting with various boards to take the temperatures from those boards and conducting an online survey and drop-in sessions to gather community input. Once input has been compiled, staff will determine next steps and a timeline for board recommendations and City Council. http://fcgov.com/oilandgas has online survey available and schedule for drop-in conversations with City staff regarding the proposed setback changes. _______________________________________________________________________________ AGENDA ITEM 2: Annual Report Mark Houdashelt, chair, led a discussion on the Annual Report. The final report is due by January 31, 2018. This report was sent out to members, consisting of 3 sections. Feedback and suggestions for changes requested for the rough draft. Discussion Board members expressed comments:  Was an Executive summary needed? Would that give the document a higher likelihood of being read by the City Council? o There is usually not a one-paragraph Executive report.  Section 3 shows that this is a very active board.  The annual Report discusses how Board activities address items in the work plan in depth.  All goals have been accomplished for the year.  The 2nd Section of the Annual Report was added with intent of outlining the additional board member meetings and activities outside the scope of regular meeting attendance. The Board discussed various ways to shorten or improve the Annual Report but decided to wait until next year to make any major format changes. The Board chair agreed to seek feedback from the Council Liaison regarding the usefulness of the various types of information presented under the current AQAB Annual Report format. Staff follow-up: Board suggested that a standard template be developed, and Cassie Archuleta offered to look into it. _________________________________________________________________________________ Board Updates  The Board discussed the potential use of E-Bikes on City bike trails. City law is not currently in accordance with new State law. At this time, E-bikes can be ridden on the City trails only if the motor is off or the rider has a disability. Limited research has been performed on E-bikes; primarily related to safety and not air quality. Boulder has allowed E-bikes on their trails. Some have recommended there be speed limits on the trails if E-bikes are allowed there.  Mark brought up discussion regarding the potential for the AQAB to focus more on climate change. He noted that Ross Cunniff suggested that a subcommittee possibly be created to provide more emphasis on climate change.  The Board discussed the Platte River Power Authority zero net carbon study. Staff follow up: Cassie to contact Platte River to set up a presentation for a future Board meeting. _________________________________________________________________________________ Future Action and Agenda Items  Discuss Radon study and AQAB role.  January meeting will have the introduction of new board members and their roles.  Outdoor residential burning. Meeting Adjourned: 8:11 p.m. Next Meeting: January 22, 2018, due to Martin Luther King Holiday on January 15, 2018 ______________________________ Signed by Chair