Agenda Packet 2-25-19 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

MINUTES – Eugene City Council January 30, 2019 Page 1 Work Session M I N U T E S Eugene City Council Harris Hall, 125 East 8th Avenue Eugene, Oregon 97401 January 30, 2019 12:00 p.m. Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Jennifer Yeh, Alan Zelenka, Mike Clark. Chris Pryor, Betty Taylor. Greg Evans, Claire Syrett Mayor Vinis opened the January 30, 2019, Work Session of the Eugene City Council. 1.WORK SESSION: Regulation of Natural GasIntergovernmental Relations Manager Ethan Nelson gave a PowerPoint presentation outliningproposals to address greenhouse gas issues related to natural gas service.Council Discussion •Councilor Zelenka – announced that while he had an administrative interest in theregulation of natural gas, he did not have conflict of interest and would participate in thecouncil discussion. •Councilor Clark – expressed concern that a static, rather than a dynamic, model was used toanalyze the impacts of natural gas; the data doesn’t account for increasing electricity ratesdue to volume increases caused by conversion; said the best information available is neededbecause the council’s decision will have a significant impact on many people. •Councilor Yeh – acknowledged that continuing with business as usual is not a viable pathforward for meeting the council’s climate goals; it is worth the time and effort to pursuerenewable natural gas; noted that EWEB business plan calls out its reliance on NorthwestNatural as part of its resilience strategy. •Councilor Pryor – asked for clarification about the reference to MtCO2e and for informationabout what percentage of gas emissions is due to leakage compared with combustion. •Councilor Evans – asked questions about the cost and timeframe for retrofittinginfrastructure for switching to renewables and what the average increase in rates might befor Northwest Natural customers; encouraged communication with partners atMetropolitan Wastewater Management Commission about collaborating with NorthwestNatural. •Councilor Syrett – inquired about the costs of installing natural gas into new constructionprojects; supported efforts to move consumers away from fossil fuels while mitigating theimpacts on low-income residents. •Councilor Taylor – asked questions about the pollution caused by natural gas, the potentialimpacts of prohibiting incentives to use natural gas, and the impacts of reducing the lengthof the franchise agreement; urged council to be clear to the public that it is not eliminatingnatural gas service. •Councilor Semple – expressed concern that the report was not complete and council hadinadequate time to review the information; supported moving toward renewables and ahybrid/variable rate; urged council to avoid any financial decisions that have a regressiveeffect and supported more triple bottom line analysis; said a 10-year franchise period maymake sense, given how quickly technology and climate conditions are changing. •Councilor Zelenka – noted that regulation would be just one small strategy to address ahuge issue; encouraged working cooperatively with large-lever stakeholders and supported ATTACHMENT C February 25, 2019, Meeting - Item 3A