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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 8/2/2022 - Memorandum From Cassie Archuleta Re: Update: City And County Collaboration On Regional Air Quality Investments 1 Environmental Services 222 Laporte Ave Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.221.6600 970.224.6177 - fax fcgov.com MEMORANDUM DATE: July 27, 2022 TO: Mayor and Councilmembers THRU: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager Tyler Marr, Interim Deputy City Manager Lindsay Ex, Environmental Services Director FROM: Cassie Archuleta, Air Quality Program Manager SUBJECT: Update: City and County Collaboration on Regional Air Quality Investments The purpose of this memorandum is to provide an update regarding regional coordination between the City of Fort Collins and Larimer County regarding air quality investments and initiatives. BOTTOM LINE The City of Fort Collins and Larimer County are working collaboratively to fund air quality related initiatives, in line with Council priorities to improve air quality and advance regionalism. The City adopted $100K in air quality monitoring enhancement investments during the 2022 budget cycle. Recently, at a County Commissioner meeting, there was agreement to invest more than $300K, in part in alignment with City funds, for efforts such as electric lawnmower rebates, procuring and maintaining a regulatory monitoring site, and procurement, operation and maintenance of leak detection equipment to assess oil and gas sites. Commissioners expressed appreciation for City Council and City staff for regional collaboration on these efforts. BACKGROUND At a City/County joint meeting on April 13, 2022, Fort Collins City Council and Larimer County Commissioners directed staff to establish agreements and share resources related to air quality monitoring and compliance. The focus of these efforts is to build upon local and regional monitoring efforts to increase community understanding of what is in our air, and to inform and prioritize targeted strategies to reduce emissions that can impact our health and the environment. For 2022, Council adopted a budget enhancement for air quality monitoring (BFO 48.15, $100K) intended to be leveraged in alignment with regional air quality priorities and opportunities. During a County Commissioner meeting on July 14, 2022, Commissioners approved additional funding in part to support the following initiatives related to improved regional air quality: The County will provide additional funding ($40K) for the Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) lawnmower rebate program to support purchase of electric lawnmowers for County residents, including Fort Collins. In 2022, the City of Fort Collins contributed $15K to RAQC programs, including $5K for lawnmower rebates. The County will provide additional funds to increase electric vehicle infrastructure ($24K) in unincorporated Larimer County. The County will collaborate with the City to purchase and operate an infrared camera to assist with the detection of volatile emissions from facilities including oil and gas ($115K). This specific example, other elements of cost-sharing, and monitoring overall will be addressed in the agreement being drafted that will be brought to Council in Q3/Q4 of this 2 year. For the IR camera, staff is working toward a proposal where the City will support purchase of the IR camera (~$100K) and Larimer County will support ongoing operator training, deployment and maintenance (cost TBD). The County agreed to invest in an expansion of regulatory monitoring to other sites in the County (~$125K). Currently, the only regulatory monitors (ozone and particulate matter) are located within Fort Collins City limits and there is interest in monitoring in other parts of the County. For further expansion of the network within City limits, the City has been awarded an Environmental Protection Agency grant ($108k) to purchase additional regulatory monitoring equipment and add oxides of nitrogen (an ozone precursor). City and County staff will work collaboratively with the State to support installation, calibration and maintenance of instrumentation. In addition to these investments, City and County staff cooperatively submitted a grant proposal to the Environmental Protection Agency ($500K) to support monitoring and reporting related to air toxics (e.g., benzene). A decision on the application is expected in the Fall of 2022. NEXT STEPS In support of efforts to continually improve air quality, staff will continue to implement local air quality priorities such as supporting emissions reductions (such as work around vehicle, oil and gas and promoting electric lawnmowers) and promoting community resiliency (through education and outreach). Regionally, staff will continue to work cooperatively with the County to pursue grant funding and other local, regional and state investments related to air quality monitoring. Specifically: Council is scheduled to consider appropriation of EPA awarded grant funds for the purchase of regulatory air quality monitoring equipment on August 16, 2022. City and County are drafting an intergovernmental agreement, including the shared resource agreement for purchase, use and maintenance of the IR camera for leak detections noted above. This is expected to be finalized in Q3/Q4 of 2022. City and County staff, in alignment with CSU, are continuing efforts to jointly form a regional advisory committee to inform development of a regional air monitoring plan. The City has engaged the CSU Center for Environmental Justice to explore how monitoring could better be implemented in an equitable way that better represent diverse communities of color and underrepresented social identities. Recruitment is expected in fall of 2022. For 2022-2023 budget adoption, Council will have the opportunity to consider air quality funding that could continue City investment in these types of regional air quality monitoring enhancements. Continuation of these regional efforts will be in part contingent on continued investments from the City, the County, and potentially additional municipalities within the County.