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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-08-19 PacketMinutes of the Regular Meeting of the Energy and Environment Commission Edina City Hall Community Room Wednesday, August 19, 2009, 7:00 P.M. Members In Attendance and Roll Call: Bill Sierks, Surya Iyer, Julie Risser, Jeannie Hanson, Steve Christianson, Michael Platteter, Dianne Plunkett Latham, Raymond O'Connell, M. Germana Paterlini, Hailey Lee, Paul Thompson Absent: Staff Present: Jane Timm 1. Welcome & Roll Call 2. Discussion and Approval of Agenda. Commissioner O'Connell made a motion to approve the meeting agenda with an amendment. Commissioner Christianson seconded. Motion carried. 3. Approval of the July 15, 2009 Meeting Minutes. Commissioner Risser made a motion to approve the minutes of the July 15, 2009 meeting with amendments. Commissioner Hanson seconded. Motion carried. Approval of the July 27, 2009 Special Meeting Minutes. Commissioner Christianson made a motion to approve the minutes of the special meeting of July 27, 2009. Commissioner Lee seconded. Motion carried. 4. Community Comment The scheduled speaker, Michael Juras, was not able to attend the meeting due to an illness. 5. Commission Business A special appreciation for all the hard work at the August 18, 2009 event was given to the Commissioners from Chair Iyer. There was a discussion about the approval of the Energy and Environment Bylaws. Commissioner Latham made a motion to approve the Energy and Environment final draft of the bylaws. Commissioner Christianson seconded. Motion carried. There was a discussion about a proposed letter to the City Council regarding the Drive -Through at 4420 Valley View Road and the amendment of City Code concerning the regulation of Drive -Through facilities. Some key points were: • Ordinance change vs. approval of a variance at that one location. • Encouragement to bike and walk to the location. • Let the City Council know the Commission opposed Drive -Through facilities. Commissioner O'Connell made a motion to approve a team of four commissioners to re -write the Drive -Through letter to be delivered to the City Council with the approved amendments. Commissioner Christianson seconded. Motion carried. There was an update from Commissioner Sierks about the Climate Showcase Grant. An application was submitted and a decision would be announced in September 2009. Commission requested that city staff let them know the proposed use of the grant monies. There was a discussion on an invitation that Mayor Hovland received regarding Solar America Workshop. Commission members did not support attendance for the following reasons: • Organization was too new. • Solar Industry development in the City of Edina was not likely. Commissioner Latham made a motion to not recommend Mayor Hovland's attendance at the Solar America Workshop. Commissioner Hanson seconded. Motion carried. There was a lengthy discussion about the structure of the working groups and the commission. There were many points of view discussed. • Each working group define one goal and make an effort to accomplish that goal. • Decide which projects would be done. • Meet ICLEI Milestone II. • Create a Policy and Project Subcommittee. • Grant application process for commissioners. Commissioner Latham made a motion to dissolve the Climate Change Working Group. Commissioner Thompson seconded. Motion carried. Commissioner Latham made a motion to form a Renewable Energy Working Group. Commissioner Hanson seconded. Motion carried. Chair Iyer appointed Commissioner Hanson as Chairperson of the Renewable Energy Working Group. Commissioner Hanson made a motion to publish the "Join Us" postcard in the Sun Current. Commissioner Lee seconded. Motion carried. Commissioner Latham made a motion to form a Policy & Project Subcommittee. Commissioner Sierks seconded. Motion carried. Chair Iyer appointed Commissioner Sierks and Commissioner Platteter as Co -Chairs to the Policy and Project Subcommittee. Commissioner Hanson made a motion to allow herself to apply for the Cynthia Kreig Grant to receive money for trees that would be planted at Pamela Park with the Park and Recreation Department approval and to do an algae to oil demonstration project in cooperation with Water Quality Working Group. Commissioner Christianson seconded. Motion carried. Commissioner Latham made a motion to put forward to the Park Board a request to plant 350 trees. Commissioner Sierks seconded. Motion carried. 6. Adjournment Commissioner O'Connell made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Risser seconded. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m. The next meeting will be the regularly scheduled meeting at 7:00 p.m. September 16, 2009 in the Community Room. Respectfully submitted, Jane M. Timm, Secretary EDINA PUBLIC MEETING PROCEDURES During "Public Hearings" the Chair will ask for public comment after City staff members make their presentations. If you wish to speak on the topic, you are welcome to do so as long as your comments are relevant to the discussion. To ensure fairness to all speakers and to allow the efficient conduct of a public hearing, speakers must observe the following guidelines: Individuals must limit their presentations to three minutes or less. The Chair will modify presentation times, as deemed necessary. Try not to repeat remarks or points of view made by prior speakers and limit comments to the matter under consideration. In order to maintain a comfortable environment for all those in attendance, the use of signs, clapping, cheering or booing or any other form of verbal or nonverbal communication is not allowed. During "Community Comment," the City Council will invite residents to share new issues or concerns that haven't been considered in the past 30 days by the Council or which aren't slated for future consideration. Individuals must limit their comments to three minutes. The Mayor may limit the number of speaks on the same issue in the interest of time and topic. Generally speaking, items that are elsewhere on tonight's agenda may not be addressed during Community Comment. Individuals should not expect the Mayor or Council to respond to their comments tonight. Instead the Council might refer the matter to staff for consideration at a future meeting. Individuals should not expect the Chair or Commission to respond to their comments. Instead, the Commission might direct the matter to staff for consideration at a future meeting. ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT COMMISSION AGENDA FOR MEETING September 16, 2009, 7:00 PM — 9:00 PM 1) Welcome, Call to Order, and Roll Call (2 min) 2) Discussion and Approval of Agenda and Agenda times (3 min) 3) Commission Business NEW Chair Announcements (10 min) Commission membership change Green Institute Annual Meeting (see packet), 10/29/09 6-9pm CERT $5000 grant (see packet) Advice to Council on EPA C31 (see packet) (10 min) Letter to City Hall requesting EEC input to EEC related projects be formally considered by Council (see packet) (10 min) OLD Tree planting project (15 min) Krieg Grant Update (see packet for draft) (10 min) EEC Goal/Priority Discussion (40 min) (including) Progress on wetlands policy, procurement policy, building code 4) Public Comment (10 min) 5) Staff Update (10 min) 6) Adjourn The City of Edina wants all residents to be comfortable being part of the public process. If you need assistance in the way of hearing amplification, an interpreter, large -print documents or something else, please call 952-927-8861 72 hours in advance of the meeting. 09/04/2009 Edina, MN Subject: Formalizing EEC input in City's projects that have an energy or environment component Dear Manager Hughes: I am writing on behalf of the EEC to request you to consider a request to formulate a process by which EEC input to City projects (that have Energy/Environment components) can be formalized. What is the gap (EEC opinion only)? In many projects that the City considers (development, renovations, and others), there may be a strong E/E component. However, since the EEC is not formally requested to provide input during the initial stages of the project, a core goal of the EEC is not satisfied, i.e. that of providing City Council with advice on E/E related topics. In short, we cannot do our job of advising the Council if we are not in the loop at the early stage of projects. What is the consequence? In several instances in the past year and more, the EEC has considered several City projects and decided to provide their input to Council. However, this has been usually at a late stage (when EEC comes to know about them) and either the input was not timely or the project was shelved / changed due to this input, resulting in more costs and delays. Why is the EEC different? As the Honorable Mayor and Honorable Council mentioned at the joint EEC -Council meeting, the EEC's charter allows many potential collaborative opportunities with other commissions and boards, where interests coincide. This implies that the EEC may have useful input to Council on projects such as transportation, buildings, and so on that are only indirectly related to EEC. What do we recommend? We request that as projects are considered by your staff and sent to the Council for deliberation, they include an assessment from your staff of the need (or lack thereof) of EEC input. Many in the City staff have a deep appreciation of where our input may be useful and required, in particular Asst Manager Worthington and her team. The Council, of course, will be the final decision making body of whether such input is desired and can inform the EEC to provide such input when needed. For all other projects, as it will be clear that EEC input is not desired, EEC commissioners will refrain from providing input. How will we evaluate this new process? The City and the EEC will evaluate this process over a period of six months. If the EEC concludes that projects having an energy / environment component are not being forwarded to us for our input, we will re-evaluate our request to Council and Staff. Likewise, the staff may conclude that EEC input is increasing and may request that this process be modified accordingly. Please provide me your feedback on this proposal; I am happy to work with you to modify it, if necessary, to a mutually agreeable and productive process for the City. Thank you and warm regards, Surya Iyer Chairperson, Energy and Environment Commission City of Edina Mi,H'Dehaha Creek CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF IMPROVING QUALITY OF WATER, QUALITY OF LIFE Cynthia Krieg Watershed Stewardship Fund Pre -Proposal Form Education and Innovation Grant Pre -Proposal Application Applicant: Edina Energy and Environment Commission City Hall 4801 W. 50th St. Edina, MN 55424 *You must be a state registered association or group. You will need to submit proof of state registration with your full proposal. Grants are not available to individual watershed property owners. Contact: Jeannie Hanson, Commissioner H: (952) 920-8819, C: (952) 913-1245 jeannie.hanson@gmail.com Grant Type: Innovation Name: Algae -to -Oil Demonstration Project/Pamela Park Summary: Transforming ordinary algae into oil, though not yet an economically viable industry, works: the oil yield averages about 8% of the algae's dry weight; the supply is suitably immense; the technology is improving all the time; and this technology's goal includes carbon neutrality. We can be part of this green -and -blue frontier—and get rid of some of the Lake Pamela algae in the process. Along with several start-up companies elsewhere, the U. of M. lab of Dr. Roger Ruan has been featured in the New York Times as in the forefront of algae -to -oil research. According to one of his post -docs, we could place a continuously -moving pump, two bins, and a jar of their polymer in a lockable shed and start pulling in the algae—probably at the rate of 10 gallons of algae - water slurry per minute. Student and adult groups, once taught the significance of sustainable fuels, will be asked to transport the algae, now just water -evaporated to damp, to Dr. Ruan's lab (probably weekly). There, it would be fed into his 1000 liter photobioreactor, and he'll use these convenient Lake Pamela leftovers to test the oil content of this particular blend of algae (there are many). The university is in the process of patenting and licensing Ruan's larger photobioreactor, now at work at The Metropolitan Sewage Plant; there, they use a slurry that's about 10% solids, and they're getting about one liter of biodiesel fuel every minute. The technology also looks promising for use in cattle feed -lots. Our algae -to -oil innovation/system can be launched next spring at an educational event which should be able to attract some media attention and perhaps a visit from Senator Franken or Klobuchar if in town. Later, a progress report in the Edina Sun and a tour of the Ruan lab can be included as educational components. Our small pumping shed can be placed on land, probably in the underbrush at the southeast edge of Lake Pamela. There, it will not interfere with any other uses of the park. The project will close at the end of summer (but could re -open here or elsewhere next algae season, also known as summer). Will we get a jar of fuel every week to pop right into the gas tank of a city vehicle? No. Will this innovative project push water quality and sustainable energy ahead? Yes. Location: We could not email it but have included the map in the version being sent to you by regular mail—the site is in the extreme southeast area of Lake Pamela. Parcel ID: 1902824440026,1902824440027,1902824440028,1902824440029,1902824440036 Partners: City of Edina Park and Recreation Department. Also groups such as the Conservation League of Edina (Jon Moon), Project Earth at Edina High School (Hailey Lee), Friends of Edina Nature Center (Jeannie Hanson), and other groups will help to check the facility and transport the algae regularly. Funding: $8,000-$10,000 for shed, bins, pump, polymer, professional expertise of the post-doc (to choose, order, and set up all of the above), platform, and electric generating of some kind (the park has lighting). Other: This site, far enough from any neighbors, is also where Conservation League of Edina has done water -quality testing of the lake including under a Krieg grant. Signature: Date: September 3, 2009 (you do not need to provide a signature on the electronic submittal) UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY �Yw REGION 5 77 WEST JACKSON BOULEVARD CHICAGO, IL 606604-3590 �s JUL 2 2 2009 Mr. James Hovland Mayor 4801 West 5th Street Edina, Minnesota 55424 Dear Mayor James Hovland: REF' -Y TQ T -±E Ar l FNTON :F. Thank you for Edina's commitmept to the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognizes the unique and critical role that local governments play in addressing climate change and commends the many communities that have already begun to take.action. Now that you have committed to making your community more sustainable, I want to share with you the many EPA programs that can help make that happen. EPA Region 5 is launching a Region S Community (.Timate Change Initiative (C31) to help support municipalities meet their climate goals. We invite you to take advantage of EPA partnership programs and resources that are available to assist municipal efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These programs will help you meet the commitments in the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and other local greenhouse gas reduction programs, as well as offer your community public recognition for partnering with EPA. EPA partnership programs help communities address climate change while protecting; human health and the environment, enhancing local economies and reducing energy costs. Some of these programs are highlighted below. The full suite of .EPA climate partnership programs is available at http://wNNxv.el)a.gov/r5climatechatlge/takeaction.html. ENERGY STAR Challenge ENERGY STAR provides your municipality with no -cost tools to save energy and money. including the Portfolio Manager building benchmarking tool. energy management guidelines, training and information on financing energy efficiency improvements. Local governments play a vital dual role by improving energy efficiency in their own buildings and as well as motivating private sector organizations to do the same. Your community can take the ENERGY STAR Challenge and take action to reduce energy use by at least 10 percent. In addition. Portfolio Manager can be used to determine energy use and greenhouse gas emissions reductions from energy efficiency improvements. Recy°cind,'Recyctable • P= ,.F..] mih J .ye. aoze Oi' 134ased ! nk., ­, 10 R, ;,=c. ed F r, ,,i .t. F WasteWise The manufacture, distribution and use of products, as well as management of the resulting waste, consumes energy and results in greenhouse gas emissions. When we reuse products or use materials made with recycled material, less energy is used. The WasteWise program promotes waste reduction and recycling and provides WasteWise partners a customized climate change profile that translates pounds of waste prevented or recycled into avoided greenhouse gases. Combined Heat and Power Partnership Combined I feat and flower (CHP), also known as cogeneration, is an efficient and reliable approach to generating power and thermal energy from a single fuel source. The Combined Heat and Power Partnership seeks to reduce the environmental impact of power generation by fostering the use of cleaner, cost-effective CHP. Locally owmed or operated wastewater treatment facilities, schools, hospitals, district heating systems and other large facilities are often good candidates for CHP. The program provides direct project assistance including free analyses of project feasibility, review of incentives and funding sources, lists of technologies and vendors, and help with calculating energy and emissions savings, Green Power Partnership Green power can be one of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce the environmental impacts associated with your municipality's electricity use. By partnering with EPA, you can receive assistance in identifying green power products that meet your needs and goals, as well as valuable public recognition. You can also work with 17PA and your electric utility to promote purchase of green power by individuals, businesses and institutions within your community. WaterSense/ENERGY STAR for Water Systems EPA is working with the water industry to promote efficient water use and water -related energy efficiency. An estimated 3 ) percent of national energy consumption is used for drinking water and wastewater services. Local governments can become WaterSense partners to encourage use of water -efficient behaviors and products. Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) LMOP helps to reduce methane emissions from landfills by encouraging the recovery and use of landfill gas as an energy resource. LMOP helps communities and landfill owner/operators understand the benefits of landfill gas (LFG) energy projects and assists them in creating alliances with developers, financiers and energy service providers, marketers, and end-users to develop local LFG projects. Finally, while this Regional initiative focuses on EPA's Partnership Programs, EPA's State and Local Climate and Energy Program has developed many tools and resources to assist local governments, including the new Clean Energy Strategies far Local Goi,ernmenls publication and free training webcasts. We encourage you to visit the State and Local Climate and Energy Program website, which can be found at: http://cpa.s,-,o-v,/cleanenermy/encray-pro(-Frams/state-and-local/. a I am pleased that EPA can offer so many options and assistance to help your community achieve its climate change goals. EPA Region 5 will publicly recognize communities that have already signed up for one or more EPA partnership programs listed above and new partners that coin by September 30, 2009 If you need further information or would like to discuss what program might be the best fit for your community, please contact Melissa Hulting at 312-886- 2'-)65/liultinsi-,.melissaii.gpa.g(. or Erin Newman at 312-886-4587/nexktji-ian.crin.,,,iiiena.gov. In addition to C' )1, EPA Region 5 will continue to work to better assist local governments with their climate change efforts. We would like to build a community climate change network of interested contacts to share information, post grant opportunities, and hear your ideas and suggestions. If you or your staff would like to be part of this network, simply return the enclosed postcard or email your contact information to the staff listed above. Sincerely, Bharat Mathur Acting Regional Administrator Enclosures 1. 1 low to Participate in EPA Region 5's Community Climate Change Initiative 2. Community Climate Change Network Reply Card 3 HoNv to Participate in the EPA Region 5 Community Climate Change Initiative (C31) For Ne-,% EPA Partnership Program Members: 1. Learn about EPA Partnership Programs on the EPA website. If you have general questions about C31, please contact either Melissa Hulting (312-886-2265/hulting.melissa@epa.gov) or Erin Newman (312-886-4587/newman.erin@epa.gov). We will be happy to assist you in finding a partnership program that is a good fit for your community. If you are interested in a specific program, you can call or e-mail the appropriate program contact listed on the CK website. 2. Formally join one or more of the following EPA partnership programs by filling out and submitting the relevant partnership agreement(s). 9 ENERGY STAR Challenge • Combined Heat and Power Partnership • Green Power Partnership • WasteWise • WaterSense • Landfill Methane Outreach Program 3. To ensure your community is publicly recognized by Region 5, fill out the C31 Registration Form at: httv://www.epa.jzovfr5climatechange/cc-form.html. For more information for the partnership programs, including program contacts and links to partnership agreements, please see the C31 webpage at: http://www.epa.gov/r5climatechange/c3i.html. For communities that are already a member EN, ERGY STAR, Combined Heat and Power, the Green Power Partnership. NIasteWise, Water.Sense, and/or the Landfill Methane Outreach Program: To ensure your community is publicly recognized by Region 5, simply fill out the C31 Registration Form at: http://www.epa.gov/r5climatechanpe/cc-form.html. The II,() -%e mu -4 he completed by September 30, 2009 in order to be part of Region 5's ('31 2009 lnitiati-,e Recognition Program. Gmail - CERTs now accepting proposals for SEED Grant funding R. Suryanarayanan Iyer<r.suryanarayanan.iyer@gmail.com> CERTs now accepting proposals for SEED Grant funding Tue, Sep 8, Diana McKeown <dmckeown@greeninstitute.org> 2009 at 9:14 AM To: Diana McKeown <d mckeown @green institute. org> Cc: Julia Eagles <jeagles@greeninstitute.org>, Carl Samuelson <csamuelson@greeninstitute.org> Greetings Metro CERT Affiliates, CERTs seeks to provide limited financial assistance for energy efficiency and/or renewable energy projects requiring technical assistance. Project funding can support technical assistance services (labor costs only—such as for a consultant, design professional, installer or student labor), for projects in all seven Minnesota CERT regions. All applications are due no later than 4:30pm, November 2nd, 2009. We welcome all applications, and thank you in advance for helping us spread the word! For more information: http://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/community-projects/request-for- proposals Cheers, Diana, Julia & Carl http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=f4db4808c5&view=pt&search=inbox&msg=1239aOal8cblbed8 (1 of 2) [9/9/2009 12:05:02 PM] Gmail - CERTs now accepting proposals for SEED Grant funding Diana McKeown Metro CERTs Network Coordinator Green Institute 2801 21 st Ave. S., Suite 110 Minneapolis, MN 55407 P 612-278-7125 F 612-278-7101 E dmckeown a reeninstitute.org http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=f4db4808c5&view=pt&search=inbox&msg=1239aOal8cblbed8 (2 of 2) [9/9/2009 12:05:02 PM]