Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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Mr. Heuser noted there was an ongoing discussion within and without the WCI as to whether the cap and trade model he was illustrating was truly a market-based mechanism for affecting climate change and provided an example of how a business such as an industrial firm might utilize the cap and trade model. Mr. Heuser briefly discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the carbon cap and trade model, noting that while it created a quantifiable market incentive for businesses to reduce emissions, it also might require the creation of an administrative infrastructure that could prove challenging to maintain and enforce. Mr. Heuser noted that the direct benefits to EWEB from the WCI were currently indeterminate, but it appeared that the WCI would allow EWEB to further its commitment to conservation, efficiency and renewable energy resources. Mr. Simpson thanked Mr. Heuser and Ms. Wilson for the presentations and opened the meeting to further general discussions. Mr. Clark asked how EWEB’s efforts to secure the safety and quality of local water sources were progressing. He noted that he had heard comments from community members about fuel and septic tanks along the McKenzie River that had given him cause for concern. Mr. Berggren responded that EWEB’s watershed management program had been very active addressing not only the concerns that Mr. Clark had raised, but also the issue of removing pesticides and other harmful chemicals from the local watershed along the McKenzie River. Mr. Berggren added that EWEB had recently begun discussions with its board about significantly expanding the efforts of their watershed management program. Mr. Brown noted that, as a longtime advocate of clean water in the region, he was aware of the fuel and septic tank concerns along the McKenzie River and noted that EWEB was engaged in several proactive efforts to address those problems. Mr. Farmer noted a concern for the fact that the Eugene/Springfield area was one of the few communities of its size that did not have a backup water source. He noted that while EWEB had historically been willing to accept the risk of having no backup water source, EWEB had also begun to incorporate plans to address that risk as part of its ten- year financial plan. Mr. Berggren added that the matter for a backup water source for the Eugene/Springfield area was not only problematic for financial reasons, but for reasons of availability as well in that no new water rights had been assigned in the region for many years. Ms. Piercy adjourned the joint work session meeting at 1:27 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jon Ruiz City Manager (Recorded by Wade Hicks) MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 19, 2008 Page 5 Work Session