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Home My WebLink About2023-9-13 CEPAC Minutes Climate and Environment Policy Advisory Committee (CEPAC) Draft Minutes 2.0 September 13,2023 3:00-5:00 PM 1. Call to Order 1.1. COMMITTEE MEMBERS- PRESENT: Richard Barth, Piper Banks, Cat Gould, Becs Walker, Kiera Reitz, Gary Schaff, Jamie Rosenthal, Kip Barrett, Sidney Brown, Sharon Dohrmann OPEN POSITIONS: 1 ABSENT: Bryan Sohl, Keeley Reiners, Colin Bishopp 1.1. CITY COUNCIL: Bob Kaplan, Jeff Dahle 1.2. STAFF: Chad Woodward 2. Consent Agenda 2.1. July 12, 2023, Minutes; August 9, 2023 MOTION TO APPROVE: Gould, seconded by Schaff. Correction instigated by Barrett, discussed by Woodward. Approved unanimously. 3. Public Forum 3.1. Claudia Franco- Ashland residence requests support of composting and community farms. Visible, tangible way to show demonstrate Ashland’s steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 3.2. Larry Cooper- Requests water conservation efforts be paid attention to. Requests more personnel to focus on water conservation. 3.3. Mason Leavitt - Spoke in support of the electrification ordinance. Discussed his work with a nonprofit based in Eugene focused on air quality in homes with gas stoves. 3.4. Gaten Campbell- Encouraged moving electrification forward for stakeholder engagement. 3.5. Norah Doyle - Crucial step in setting an example in electrification for surrounding cities. Requested moving ordinance forward for stakeholder engagement. 3.6. Mira Saturn - Discussed how moving electrification ordinance is important and should be considered in all aspects moving forward. 3.7. Libby Casey- Discussed how the city is behind on following through with the Climate Energy Action Plan. 4. Updates/Announcements 4.1. Council Update – Bob Kaplan- No council meeting in early September. Jeff Dahle joining CEPAC as a second liaison. 4.2. Staff Update – Chad Woodward- -Oregon Department of Energy is a potential recipient as part of the 7- billion-dollar Solar for All grant. The city will pursue this when relevant (includes opportunities for community solar and backup batteries). -ODOT EV charger grant- Installation must happen in the next 9 months. 75% refund on expenses. -Tesla supercharger station open. Ribbon cutting ceremony on 9/13 -Landlord heat pump incentive- up to $7000 available for upgrades. -56-unit hotel heat pump upgrade wrapped up recently. 4.3. Vice-Chair Update – Rick Barth- No update 4.4. Other Committee Members Update 4.4.1. Rosenthal- wasteful to resourceful program through recology. 4.5. Updates from other Committees/Commissions 4.5.1. Gould attended the Forrest Lands committee meeting. Requested everyone read Chris Chambers’ article on the city’s website regarding tree growth in the watershed. 4.5.2. Dohrman attended the Housing Committee meeting and informed about their open meeting regarding rent burden. 4.5.3. Shaff attended the Transportation Advisory Committee will be holding a public hearing about removing parking on N. Mountain on 9/21. 4.5.4. Walker informed of SOU’s contract with True South Solar to install on the Hawk dining hall and The Lithia Pavilion and will have backup batteries. Solar increase of 86%. Bidding for parking lot solar will be available soon. 5. Old Business 5.1. Electrification Ordinance 5.1.1. Process Update City 5.1.1.1. Woodward- meeting was held with staff members and potential stakeholders. Discussed nitrogen oxides being presented as an emission to focus on in an emissions-based ordinance, based on ongoing research. 5.1.2. Stakeholder Engagement Process Plan- Woodward discussed process. MOTION: Made by Dohrman to accept and present the process plan as discussed. Seconded by Brown. Kaplan expressed his appreciation for the hard work that has gone into its completion. Walker advocated for the City Council to have one on one engagement with stakeholders. Retiz expressed her appreciation. Approved unanimously. 5.2. Electric Master Plan – Kip Barrett, Chad Woodward, Rick Barth 5.2.1. Barrett- met with Thomas McBartlett regarding Electric Master Plan Details. CEPAC goals are being considered in Master Plan. Rate planning is separate from the Master Plan, but it was discussed. 5.2.2. Barth- Discussed the need for direct CEPAC goals for the masterplan. Discussion with Kaplan followed. 5.3. CEPAC Work Program - Urban, Land Use & Transportation – Gary Shaff and Sharon Dohrmann- wishes to develop an implementation plan to gain specific knowledge from the city to develop goals for the CEPAC moving forward. Steps to do this were conversed. 6. New Business 6.1. N. Mountain Ave., street parking removal/Protected Bike Lanes – Gary Shaff. MOTION: Made by Shaff that CEPAC send the letter (as included in the Committee’s agenda packet) to the Transportation Advisory Committee supporting protected bike lanes on North Mountain. The motion was seconded by Dohrmann. Approved 10-1. 6.2. CEAPAC Meeting Time revisited – Kip Barrett 7. Wrap Up 8. (5:00) Adjourn. 9-13-2023 Speaker Requests (via email) 1. Full Name: Gaten Campbell Subject: Ashland Electriﬁca?on and Clean Air Ordinance How do you wish to comment: In person Message: in person tes?mony 2. Full Name: Norah Doyle Subject: Electriﬁca?on Ordinance How do you wish to comment: In person Message: Sep. 13th @ 3 3. Full Name: Kiera Re?z Subject: Electriﬁca?on and Clean Air Ordinance How do you wish to comment: In person Message: I am planning to give in person tes?mony on Wednesday 9/13 at CEPAC 4. Full Name: Piper Subject: Ashland Electriﬁca?on and Clean Air Ordinance How do you wish to comment: In person Message: I am planning to give in-person tes?mony on 9-13-23 5. Full Name: Mira Saturen Subject: Electriﬁca?on Ordinance- public forum How do you wish to comment: In person Message: Public Forum 6. Full Name: Livy Casey Subject: Tes?mony How do you wish to comment: In person Message: I am planning to share my tes?mony in support of Ashland’s electriﬁca?on ordinance at the CEPAC mee?ng on 9/13/23. 7. Full Name: Flavia Franco Subject: Community Compost How do you wish to comment: In person Message: Gree?ngs, Below is a link (also a?ached) to an ar?cle about a city in New York that is receiving help to expand its Food Scrap to Compost opera?ons. This is only one example of what is being replicated all over the country. Grants are available for those who are taking an ini?a?ve. h?ps://buﬀalonews.com/news/local/buﬀalo-food-recycling-scrap-it-farmer-pirates- byron-brown/ar?cle_834ab808-483e-11ee-bf37-2ﬀ5a871d861.html There are two things that CEPAC should know once the informa?on from this ar?cle is absorbed. 1. Making progress on increasing compos?ng ac?vity would be a really visible, tangible way to show Ashland ci?zens, visitors and the rest of Jackson County that Ashland is taking real steps in its Climate Energy Ac?on Plan. The pounds collected can be easily calculated and translated into greenhouse gases reduced. 2. Ashland already has the various pieces of the puzzle to help turn a pilot project into a success and be ready for next steps of expansion: It has farmers to receive the food scraps and turn it into compost, it has a delivery service to pick up food scraps and get them to the local farms, and it has groups that can do community outreach for educa?on, and raising support for the project. I understand your focus is currently on the electriﬁca?on ordinance and I wholeheartedly support a recommenda?on that the ordinance should be passed by city council. But I also hope that when you consider what to focus on next, that you look at the unifying - common ground a?ributes of suppor?ng a community compost opera?on - one that supports local farms and can also get households easily involved in becoming more sustainable. I implore you to please take a few minutes to read this ar?cle. Thank you. Flavia Franco 836 Hillview Dr. ﬂavita10s@gmail.com 541-625-4006 landline 408- 242-9933 cell member of Southern Oregon Food Solu?ons (SOFS) A?achment 1 ﬁle: Buﬀalo launches next phase of food scraps recycling program254200015.PDF A?achment #1: Buﬀalo launches next phase of food scraps recycling program254200015.PDF 8. Full Name: Mason Subject: Request to Tes?fy over Zoom Regarding Electriﬁca?on Ordinance How do you wish to comment: In person Message: I hope to tes?fy over zoom today, and have a?ached my tes?mony. Please send me the zoom link when you have a chance. A?achment 1 ﬁle: Mason Leavi? Ashland CEPAC Gas Stove Tes?mony255093647.PDF Attachment #1: Mason Leavitt Ashland CEPAC Gas Stove Testimony255093647.PDF Thank you for allowing me to testify here today. My name is Mason Leavitt, and I am a resident of Eugene Oregon working for a non profit organization. One of my roles in my job is to analyze the pollution from gas stoves in residential homes. The climate rationale of prohibiting gas stoves in future residential construction is a solid enough argument on its own. After all, Natural, or Methane Gas, is just as bad for the climate as coal largely due to leaks in the production and transportation of methane. Gas stoves even while turned off leak 0.8 to 1.3% of its total methane use. Every year US gas stoves add the equivalent emissions of half a million gas cars to the atmosphere (Lebel et al 2022). In addition to the benefits of this policy to the climate, studies from the RMI, clearly demonstrate homeowners will save money in upfront construction costs when choosing all electric homes in addition to saving money every month on utility bills. Over the past year, in my work for Beyond Toxics as a Data Analyst, I have taken air quality monitoring equipment into 30 homes with gas stoves. The results have shifted my perspective of gas stoves from a cooking luxury with a climate problem to a silent chronic health hazard. There are a wide variety of chemicals produced by the combustion of natural gas, and today I will solely focus on Benzene, and Nitrogen Dioxide. Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) is a criteria air pollutant regulated by the federal government through the clean air act, which should be noted, only applies to outdoor air spaces. In fact indoor air quality is not regulated at all in the US. We typically group NO2 in with the term NOx. In 14 of the 17 homes I visited this summer, NO2 levels increased at rates that have been correlated with increased childhood asthma symptoms, and correlated with increased mortality for the elderly. One house I visited last winter saw NO2 levels from their gas stoves that the World Health Organization would recommend evacuating the building, and likely prompted an investigation by the EPA had it occurred outside. Benzene is a well known by-product of producing and using any type of fossil fuel. It is a Volatile Organic Compound, a term used to describe a large group of pollutants. Benzene accumulates in the body overtime, and is known to cause blood cancers and decrease the effectiveness of our immune systems. It also correlates with increased childhood asthma diagnosis, more severe asthma symptoms, and decreased pulmonary function in the elderly. One Stanford study turned on one burner and the oven to 350 for 45 minutes, and found levels of Benzene exceeding what is typical of secondhand smoke, long considered to be a primary source of Benzene exposure. I don’t have time in this short testimony to discuss PM 2.5, Xylene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, or Carbon Monoxide, which are all produced by Gas Stove usage, and in of themselves each have health implications for children, the elderly, and even healthy adults. I implore you to keep moving this policy forward and approve the stakeholder engagement process of hosting 2 public meetings, and please send this to city council members to pass it by the end of the year. This policy will mitigate the city's contribution to climate change, save future residents money on construction costs and utility bills, and reduce negative health impacts associated with and caused by gas infrastructure in homes. Thank you for allowing me to speak here today. In person speaker requests: