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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 8/14/2018 - Memorandum From Cassie Archuleta And Lindsay Ex Re: Climate And Air Quality: Clean Car Standards Rulemaking ProcessEnvironmental Services 222 Laporte Ave. PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.221.6600 fcgov.com/environmental services 1 MEMORANDUM Date: August 7, 2018 To: Mayor and City Council Thru: Darin Atteberry, City Manager CAP Executive Team1 From: Cassie Archuleta, Air Quality Program Manager Lindsay Ex, Climate Program Manager Re: Climate and Air Quality: Clean Car Standards Rulemaking Process Purpose: The purpose of this memo is to update Council on the State’s Rulemaking process to implement the Governor’s Executive Order (EO) to establish Clean Car Standards for Colorado. Bottom Line: The clean car standards have significant air quality and climate benefits for Fort Collins and statewide. In alignment with the Legislative Policy Agenda (LPA), staff is taking the following action:  Partnering with Colorado Communities for Climate Action (CC4CA): In accordance with the City approved CC4CA Policy Agenda, CC4CA will advocate for low emission vehicle (LEV) and zero emission vehicle (ZEV) standards associated with the California Clean Car Standards.  Join Local Government Coalition: While CC4CA is focused on the climate benefits of this EO, the City is also joining a local government coalition (including Boulder County Public Health and Denver Public Health and Environment) to request party status to advocate for LEV and ZEV standards from a public health perspective. The City has the opportunity to shape hearing documents submitted and opt out of signing any specific statement not aligned with the LPA. If Councilmembers would like to contribute, e.g., testimony, op-eds, etc., please let staff know by Aug 14. Background: In June, the Governor signed Executive Order B2018-006 “Maintaining Progress on Clean Vehicles” to adopt the LEV portion of California’s Clean Car Standards in Colorado; the EO is silent on the ZEV standards. 12 states and the District of Columbia have adopted the California Clean Car Standards, and 9 of these 12 have adopted the ZEV portion of the standards. This past week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it will rollback existing federal fuel efficiency standards. Removing these standards would have the impact of increasing the City’s emissions in the 2030 timeframe, missing the opportunity to make by 5-7% progress towards achieving the 2030 climate goals. This would also impact the community’s air quality, as emissions for vehicles are one of the largest contributors to regional ozone formation. Legislative Policy Agenda (LPA) Alignment: The City’s 2018 LPA (page 6) has the following supportive policies for this work: 1. Supports programs and policies that improve public health and air quality and support rapid attainment of National Ambient Air Quality Standards, including ozone. 5. Supports strengthening standards for tailpipe emissions, aggregate vehicle emissions and/or fuel economy for all vehicles. Supports programs and policies that promote the use of electric vehicles and the development of infrastructure needed to support the use of those vehicles. 1 Includes Deputy City Manager Jeff Mihelich; Utilities Executive Director Kevin Gertig; Chief Financial Officer Mike Beckstead; Director of Planning, Development, and Transportation Laurie Kadrich; Chief Sustainability Officer Jackie Kozak Thiel; and Environmental Services Director Lucinda Smith DocuSign Envelope ID: 9EB78722-754F-4ED4-99C3-4D7D081E22B7 2 Next Steps:  The rule will be proposed by the Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC), the regulatory body responsible for the rulemaking process, on August 16.  As noted above, City staff will work with stakeholders to submit hearing documents and provide statements during the hearing process. If Councilmembers are interested in giving statements and/or contributing, please let staff know by August 14. Cc: Paul Sizemore, FC Moves Director Ginny Sawyer, Sr Project Manager Tyler Marr, Project Manager Jody Hurst, Asst City Attorney II DocuSign Envelope ID: 9EB78722-754F-4ED4-99C3-4D7D081E22B7