HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016.12.14 CEAP Agenda Packet Climate and Energy.Action Plan
Climate and Energy Plan Committee
Meeting Agenda
December 14. 2016 30-30 .P.M ..........5:00 PM Comm�un..i.ty .Devel..opm..en..t .Bu,l.],.dln..g
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Call to Order Rich/Claudia
Icebreaker
Approval of Minutes Rich
Public Input Rich
15 min Open House #3 — Recap/De—brief Rich/Adam
15 min Draft Plan Review — committee comments Rich/Adam
15 min Carbon Offsets —ninon Proposal Jim H
NCX[ Steps -Review schedule table
• Implementation Plan
30 min • Ordinances (goals/targets &commission creation) Rich/Adam
• Council Study Session—Jan 23, 2017
• Council Business Meeting—February 7,2017
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CASCADIA ,NSHLAND
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Climate and Energy Action Plan
LEAP Ad-Hoc Committee-......Scope of Work
.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ....................................................................I
The ad hoc Climate Change and Energy Action Plan Committee is charged with making recommendations to
the City Council regarding a climate change and energy action plan intended to identify existing and potential
vulnerabilities and develop an organized and prioritized set of actions to protect people and resources from
the ongoing impacts of climate change.The plan shall include targets and strategies for reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions in Ashland.These targets and strategies may be short-mid-or long-term,and shall
consider cost,feasibility,community acceptance and likelihood of success,with an emphasis on voluntary
measures that can be undertaken by different sectors of the community.The plan shall include specific,
measurable actions that citizens and local institutions can undertake immediately upon adoption of the plan.
The Committee shall review similar plans in comparable communities,consult as necessary with local subject
matter experts in the areas of transportation, energy, land use and infrastructure(and other areas as the
Committee deems advisable), and identify implementation steps as appropriate.
The Committee shall, in consultation with City staff and consultants, determine its own work plan and project
timeline, however the activities of consultants hired by the City to work on the plan or technical reports
associated with the plan shall be directed by the City and not by the ad hoc committee. The ad hoc
committee shall not create and appoint subcommittees without the prior consent of the City Council. Unless
otherwise directed by the City Council,the Climate Change and Energy Action Plan shall be delivered to the
City Council by January 31, 2017.
The Committee shall, in the course of its work:
• Provide ample opportunity for public input and feedback; and
• Present its recommendations in writing so they can be easily shared with the public.
CITY OF
ASCADIA iNSHLAND
CONSULTING GkOUY
Minutes for the Climate and Energy Action Plan ad hoc Committee
November 2,2016
Page 1 of 4
MINUTES FOR THE CLIMATE & ENERGY ACTION PLAN ad hoc COMMITTEE
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Siskiyou Room, 51 Winburn Way
1. Call to Order
Councilor Rich Rosenthal called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m.
Committee members Louise Shawkat, Jim Hartman, Stuart Green, Greg Jones, Cindy Bernard,
James McGinnis, and Marni Koopman were present. Staff member Adam Hanks was present.
Committee member Roxane Beigel-Coryell arrived late.
2. Public Input
Allie Rosenbluth—thanked the group for their hard work. Urged the group to include equity in
the vision statement. It is important to say at the beginning so that equity is always at the top of
everyone's mind. She stated that it is confusing in the proposed composition of the commission
whether the representatives listed for specific areas are in addition to the citizen members, or are
included in the total of citizen member numbers [Hanks clarified it is in addition to]. She
questioned the need for a chamber of commerce representative on the commission. She also
highlighted a few things that currently aren't matching between the implementation plan and the
ordinance.
Robert Block-Brown—(see attached statement) stated the group needs to listen to and follow the
science. This process will require a strong cultural shift. He described an e-mail he had sent to
Hanks regarding the need for an administrator-level position to lead the plan. He believes that if
a cost/benefit analysis was done it would show that this level of a position is as valuable as it is
important. This is the most difficult plan the city has ever undertaken and we need a high
authority level with management skills. He is also concerned about not having this staff member
be the chair of the future commission and is concerned with current policy that staff members
can only be ex-officio, non-voting members of commissions.
James Stephens— stated that at last night's Council meeting he was encouraged by the Mayor's
positive statements regarding the 1Ox20 ordinance. He stated there seems to be some confusion
as to how to define the 10% in the 1Ox20 ordinance. The definition to him is 10% of all power
consumed by Ashland, annualized over a year. As for the definition of clean power, the group
intended that this be any renewable energy source. He did an internet search and, unfortunately,
the natural gas consortium has managed to label themselves as a renewable energy source and
was the first resource to pop up in the search. He wants to make sure the group understands this
was not the intention of 1 Ox20. The intention was any non-greenhouse gas producing renewable
source.
Roy Mollett— stated as we look into the amount of solar energy production, it's increasing
rapidly. Even Tesla is doing a new solar project. With all the new ways to integrate solar panels
with roofing, this seems to the be away we will be going in the future. He believes that using this
technology makes everything look more plausible.
Minutes for the Climate and Energy Action Plan ad hoc Committee
November 2,2016
Page 2 of 4
Dave Helmich— stated it is important to understand that the cost of solar installations has to
come from somewhere and some people in town do not have roofs to install panels. His idea for
1 Ox20 has always been an industrial solar farm. There is currently a source of money for this
project from rate payers and it is time to build this project.
3. Icebreaker Question
Group did an icebreaker question regarding their favorite Halloween candy.
4. Vision Statement
Rosenthal explained how he came to create the draft, "Ashland is a sustainable, resilient, carbon-
neutral community that embraces equity, protects healthy ecosystems and creates opportunities
for future generations."
Roxane Biegel-Coryell arreived 3:50 p.m.
Group discussed whether they wanted the statement to be related to a specific time ("In 2050 we
are..."). They determined it may be useful as a narrative point of view,but they want parts of the
statement to be true far before 2050 (like equity, for example). Group discussed whether using
the term `carbon-neutral' was appropriate when the term `greenhouse gases' can be used as a
teaching tool. Most agreed that carbon-neutral is an effective short-hand to grasp the more
complex terms surrounding greenhouse gases.
Hartman/Biegel-Coryell m/s to approve the vision statement, "Ashland is a resilient
community that strives for zero-net greenhouse gas emissions, that embraces equity,
protects healthy ecosystems and creates opportunities for future generations."
Discussion: Green stated that he still like's the version Marni presented in the packet. McGinnis
stated he thinks that the term, "strives for"waters down the intent.
Hartman/Biegel-Coryell agreed to change the term "strives for" to "has" in their motion.
Voice Vote: 6 ayes, 2 nayes. Motion Passes.
5. Implementation Plan
Hanks requested feedback on the proposed commission ordinance. He stated that none of the
proposed members are set in stone, they are just suggestions based on previous group
discussions. Group discussed the total number preferred to have a functional group. There was
concern that nine voting members was too large a number but also concern that at a lower
number not all the necessary groups would be represented with enough citizen members. Group
also discussed whether a chamber of commerce representative was necessary. Most of the group
agreed that as the plan calls for actions relating to consumption a business connection is vital.
Group discussed ways to have the broadest cross-section of the Ashland population represented,
including low-income, youth, seniors, etc. Hanks stated that those desires could be included in
the citizen representative descriptions. Group discussed both the desire to have lots of youth
representation and the challenges of keeping students engaged in the long-term.
Minutes for the Climate and Energy Action Plan ad hoc Committee
November 2,2016
Page 3 of 4
Hartman/Green m/s to have two of the nine voting members under the age of 25 at the time
of appointment.
Discussion: None.
Voice Vote: All Ayes. Motion Passes.
Group continued to discuss the proposed representative organizations. They generally felt
comfortable with the organizations listed.
Group discussed the role of the commission. Rosenthal stated that, "and Council" is missing in
the statement, "Assist and provide recommendations to City staff[and Council] in the review
and analysis..." Group agreed this needs to be added.
Group discussed whether the new commission would have a role in the process for hiring the
staff member who will handle the action plan. Due to timing, this probably isn't likely, but there
has been precedent for a community member to participate on an interview panel (depending on
the level of the staff member—i.e. department heads have had citizens on panels, lower on org
chart staff have not).
6. Overarching Strategy
Hanks informed the group he started doing stakeholder interviews and has received good
comments and feedback on the strategies so far. Group discussed potential edits to the strategies
including:
• Removing numbers so that people don't automatically think they are ranked
• Separating water from energy section to lessen confusion
• Add"callout"boxes for definitions of terms
• Edit so that it doesn't sound like this is a plan to increase diversity and equity but rather
the plan will take into considerations the ways in which it may have an effect or may be
effected by diversity and equity
• Add a clear introduction paragraph/summary of how we are filtering the options to help
decision making by Council, staff, and future committee members
Bernard raised concerns that the scope of work for this group stated it was to focus on
"measurable actions"but by continuing to include consumption as part of our goals and
strategies we're introducing things not measurable.
7. Open House Plan
Group discussed the proposed outreach plan and proposed some ways to reach more residents.
McGinnis expressed the desire to have a time in the program where people interact/have round-
table discussions of the plan. Group generally agreed this would be a good addition to the open
house. Koopman expressed the desire for a few members of the group to explain the difficulty in
choosing the goals—that the decision was not made lightly. Group agreed this would be
important.
8. Next Meeting
Topics for discussion at upcoming meetings include the December 7 open house, and
Conservation Commission responsibilities overlap with proposed new commission.
Minutes for the Climate and Energy Action Plan ad hoc Committee
November 2,2016
Page 4 of 4
The upcoming meeting schedule is as follows:
November 16, 5:30—7:30 p.m.
Open House December 7, 5:30— 7:30 p.m., Stevenson Union at SOU
January 4, 3:30— 5:30 p.m. —tentative meeting, if next phase of plan document is ready.
9. Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 5:34 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Diana Shiplet, Executive Assistant
As I have stated before, I come at this issue from a position of stewardship moving
us to a Right relationship with the earth and living organisms.To get there we need
to listen to and follow the science.This is a bold action for the City and in turn will
require strong value based leadership by the City to redirect the community to a
culture of regeneration.
There seem to be 3 main concerns with the proposed concept and ordinance
language that I sent to each of you.
1) while cost/benefit is always an important consideration when we spend the
peoples money,this may be the most difficult challenge we have ever taken on as a
community.we need the best leadership we can afford to guide us through this
cultural change.
Z] If the right duty statement is developed and the right person is selected,the
placement of this position in the office of the City Administrator gives it the level of
authority needed in oversight of all department directors and gives this position a
place at the table with the existing decision makers. It is not necessary to also
establish a new staff level position,although that would be best for the work load all
the current staff carry.
3] There apparently is current practice/requirement that City staff may only be
appointed as ex-officio members of citizen's commissions and a chair must be
appointed as voting member. If this is the case the position could serve as ex-officio
on the Commission and chair the City staff team.
Robert Block-Brown
Minutes for the Climate and Energy Action Plan ad hoc Committee
November 16,2016
Page 1 of 3
MINUTES FOR THE CLIMATE & ENERGY ACTION PLAN ad hoc COMMITTEE
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Siskiyou Room, 51 Winburn Way
1. Call to Order
Councilor Rich Rosenthal called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
Committee members Bryan Sohl, Louise Shawkat, Claire Pryor, James McGinnis, Roxanne
Biegel-Coryell, Claudia Alick, Cindy Bernard, Marni Koopman, Jim Hartman and Stuart Green
were present. Staff member Adam Hanks was present.
Group did an icebreaker regarding the question, "Given the election results, how do you think
this will effect/amplify the needs of this effort?"
Rosenthal gave an update on the recent City Council meeting regarding the 1Ox20 ordinance.
2. Approval of Minutes
McGinnis/Koopman m/s to approve the minutes of October 5 and 15 as presented.
Discussion: None. Voice Vote: All Ayes. Motion Passes.
3. Public Input
Ken Crocker— stated he had missed the last couple of meetings but it appears the group has been
discussing important topics. He was hoping to see more of the draft plan process. It seems the
strategies and actions are just a list of stuff from the committee with some prioritization from the
community. What's missing is a look at the vision of what the community would be like with no
greenhouse emissions. The group hasn't looked at any cost/benefit analysis of any of the
strategies to see if they are the correct ones. He believes the group needs to ask Council to step
back and do an in depth look at the strategies presented. In particular, he's concerned with ones
which effect low-income people and with potential for working on transportation programs for
the whole valley.
Allie Rosenbluth—listed some ideas for getting more attendance at the next open house
including flyers in Spanish, offering babysitting, offering food. She stated it is better to get a
broader range of voices to represent the entire community, especially as the plan talks about
equity. Plan equity needs to be more than just a part of the vision statement but needs to be
considered throughout the plan. She gave some examples of areas of the plan needing more
equity considerations. She stated that the draft plan is lacking quanititative goals, too many of
them have nothing to be measured by or against. Additionally there is no structure layed out in
the plan for how the future commission will evolve after the plan is approved.
Robert Block-Brown—stated he is concerned that the plan doesn't reference the Ordinance with
the goals/targets. The plan also doesn't talk about how it will be sheparded—no talk of the
commission, staff members, etc. He liked Ken's comment regarding needing to decide what our
vision of the future will be inorder to get into specifics of what we want to be accountable for.
With no clear vision there can be no specifics of how to get there so we never will.
Minutes for the Climate and Energy Action Plan ad hoc Committee
November 16,2016
Page 2 of 3
James Stephens— stated he is encouraged by the recent Council meeting and it's 1Ox20
discussion. It is clear there is support by the Mayor. He stated that he appreciates that the plan
references the 1Ox20 ordinance. Those who were involved in getting the ordinance approved
would appreciate a chance to get involved with the creation of the RFP and with the Open House
on December 7th. He stated the 1 Ox20 supporters would like to staff an information table at the
open house to give information. This could also get a higher turnout at the event.
Huelz— state that 1Ox20 is just a power purchasing agreement. This type of agreement has been
on the table since the Bush era and we almost used it for the Solar Pioneer II project but instead
did a bond. Another option is the third-party pass-through and he's been watching all these years
to see if that would be used. Now we can do a double-bundle program to make this a cutting
edge project. He is excited about the lawsuits from Our Childrens Trust and is glad anyone can
sue regarding climate issues now. He stated that last night's Council meeting was great. He
encouraged the group to read his double-bundle e-mails.
4. Open House Plan Update
Hanks gave an update on the event plans. He stated that based on the previous discussions they
have added a few things including; a story by Tonya Graham, individual tables set up and time
for one-on-one dialogue with community members. He gave an overview of the promotions
already done and those which will be undertaken closer to the event date. Group discussed
additional ways to increase and diversify participation.
5. Draft Plan Review
Rosenthal gave an overview of the plan as presented. He reminded the group that it's currently
unformatted and missing both the executive summary, the graphics, and the more detailed
implementation plan. Group discussed the plan and suggested the following be incorporated or
considered:
• Two versions—the long (highly detailed for future commission and Council) and the
short (for easy discussion and distribution in the community)
• More global context
• A matrix of all the actions listed together
• Need more co-benefits listed(even if negative)
• Need more review of this versus other plans of the City as some call-outs go directly
against or are in conflict with other plan requirements/actions
• Remove the tree analogy—it's confusing
• Add a roadmap to the rest of the plan
• Need more explicit reference to how this process/plan will continue
• Equity needs to be positioned and framed more as important throughout, not just on one
page
• The proposed ordinance needs to be referenced in the plan
The group mostly agreed that the plan is readable and a good framework, though it's hard to
judge too indepth without the implementation plan. Hanks stated he and Cascadia understand the
challenge of not seeing the implementation plan at this time but before they can fully do that
Minutes for the Climate and Energy Action Plan ad hoc Committee
November 16,2016
Page 3 of 3
portion they need to know if the actions we've identified are the top ones to be analyzed. Group
discussed some of the actions and how to connect them to real risks and real results.
6. Consumption Emissions/Carbon Offsets
Hartman gave an overview of why he believes offsets must be included in the plan in order to
achieve the 8% goal each year.
Pryor departed meeting at 7:OS p.m.
Hartman stated he would like a small group to do research into options regarding offsets and
present that information at a future meeting. Group discussed options for how research could be
done and also discussed some of the drawbacks of spending money on projects outside of the
city instead of taking that same money for projects within the city(which won't count in ghg
reduction numbers in the same way but could result in longer-term success and other co-benefits
like living-wage jobs). Hartman stated he doesn't want offsets as the only solution but does want
them to remain a long-term option. He agreed to do some research and make a presentation on
ways offsets could be incorporated into the plan at a future meeting.
7. Next Meeting
The upcoming meeting schedule is as follows:
Open House December 7, 5:30— 7:30 p.m., Stevenson Union at SOU
November 14, 3:30— 5:30 p.m.
January 4, 3:30— 5:30 p.m. —tentative meeting, if next phase of plan document is ready.
8. Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 7:31 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Diana Shiplet, Executive Assistant
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SOV RCE
RESEARCH
CENTER
AshlandSurvey on This summer,you may have received a survey in the mail about your attitudes and actions
inrelated to energy and climate change.Southern Oregon University Research Center
Climate and Energy (SOURCE) and the Geos Institute mailed surveys to 2,000 randomly selected residences in
Ashland.We had an incredible response,with more than 1,000 surveys returned.Thank you
to all who filled out the survey!
We heard loud and clear that a majority of respondents understand that climate
change is a threat that needs immediate action.We also heard that many residents are
already saving energy in their homes and daily lives, but they often hit barriers that keep
them from doing more. Renters,for instance, have limited options for energy upgrades
compared to homeowners.And many people find alternative transportation to be too
inconvenient to meet their needs. Respondents expressed interest in having the city
provide more support for weatherization,alternative transportation and renewable energy.
Respondents' views on climate change
Immediate action is needed 00mmm NONE=
Climate change is real,but it is too late
Climate change is not human caused
Climate change is a hoax
I don't know
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
77 �� Measures already6� being taken ......Percent of5
�O respondents 739
23 lm/
Energy Caulking Energy Energy High Low flow High Home Solar, Electric
efficient around efficient efficient efficiency shower- efficiency energy hybrid,or solar
lightbulbs doors and appliances windows insulation heads furnace/ assessment tankless panels
windows heat pump water
heater
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Barriers to conservation Public transportation too inconvenient A
gy Home improvement too expensive
and renewable ener
Percent of respondents Obligations too far for walking/biking
Live in a rental home or apartment
Alternative transportation takes too long
New appliances too expensive
Solar panels won't fit on my roof
Local food/produce too expensive
Don't qualify for incentives
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
The City of Ashland already focal renewable energy systems
does a lot to support Weatherization assistance for low in
conservation and renewable Subsidized solar panels for low incorn
energy.When asked what Expanded bus routes and times
additional actions residents Electric buses
would like the City to take, Safer more bike lanes
...........
respondents said they would Incentives for energy savings in busir� es
like the city to invest in: Better online home energy tracking
No actions
A majority of survey respondents Cities around the nation are setting greenhouse gas emissions targets and taking
support aggressive action on action on climate change.How aggressive should Ashland be compared to others?
climate change! We asked residents this question,and this is what we heard.
1 out of 20
respondents suggested no action IL
2 out of ZO
supported 75%reduced emissions
by 2040(state targets) f' L 1
5 out of 20
recommended 80%reduced emissions
by 2030(similar to Fort Collins,CO)
1 out of 20
preferred 100%reduced emissions
by 2050 (similar to Portland)
6 out of 20
respondents wanted more aggressive
action,such as becoming a net exporter
of renewable energy by 2050
A Draft Proposal for Two New Cross Cutting Strategies
By Jim Hartman (Dec 13, 2016)
CC-5 Develop the use of well researched carbon offsets as a tool to address a
large fraction of our consumption emissions and meet our overall 8% annual
reduction targets until a maximum of 41% or 136,000 MT CO2-equivalent are
offset.
Failure to meet our 8% annual reduction challenge is not an option. Consumption of
food, goods and services, almost half of our emissions, is difficult to reduce more than
85% even with the best public education program. Even if we could convince everyone
to be vegan and renounce snack foods, the Oregon carbon calculator estimates that
would reduce consumption emissions only by 29%. Air travel is another challenge that
may require carbon offsets.
Carbon offsets are approved of or used by the United Nations Environmental Program
(UNEP), California, Oregon and 9 other States. The City of Ashland encourages
residents to buy offsets on their City Website.
Priority Ations
CC-5-1 Carefully research a package of quality carbon offset options that
consider our latest greenhouse gas inventory, cost and the values of our
community.
The new CEAP advisory committee could have a subcommittee dedicated to this
strategy and present their findings to the public. When offsets are bought in bulk there
is a very large cost savings of as much as 94%. Recently we received a bid for all of
our consumption emissions of only 62.5 cents/MT for landfill methane capture offsets
while other offsets purchased individually typically run $10/MT. A good quality carbon
offset is verified by an independent 3rd party organization to ensure, "sole" ownership of
GHG emission reductions or removals, full disclosure of offset project details,
permanence and that the projects would not occur otherwise (they are additive).
CC-5-2 Assess the feasibility of various funding mechanisms to cover the cost of
carbon offsets.
The maximum cost of the 41% offset cap is currently estimated to be between $85,000
to $1,600,000. This money could be raised voluntarily or thru various taxes. One tax to
consider include the Ashland meals tax which is currently being used for road
improvements by the city. A local gas tax could be implemented to help the city pay for
road improvements and possibly free up city funds for offsets.
CC-5-3 Educate the public on the limits and opportunities of carbon offsets.
The public needs to know that carbon offsets are not a perfect solution. While good
offsets result in real emission reductions, there is a limited number of them and the
prices fluctuate. It is better to do everything reasonable possible to reduce your
emissions. Don't divorce your wife just because she won't show at goodwill. We are
challenging the public to reduce their consumption emissions by at least 15%.
The public also needs to know that there are a wide variety of carbon offset projects and
that one can learn much about climate change by checking them out. For example, our
city could buy offsets that to reduce the emissions of nitrous oxide from fertilizer plants
for only $1.60/MT CO2-eq or we could buy offsets to reduce deforestation in developing
countries for $10/MT.
Other Actions:
The City will add to their website a page so that citizens may be informed about
good offsets should they decide to offset their own greenhouse gas emissions
and to inform the city of the offsets they are purchasing. These offsets could
then be counted and used to meet our 8% annual target.
CC-6 Continuously Improve the accuracy of our Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Inventory.
We have high degree of uncertainty in our estimation of emissions from consumption
and a medium degree of uncertainty in our estimation of emissions from transportation.
Both of these need be improved over time and resources need to be allocated for this.
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