CC Minutes - 10/10/11 Work Session

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Mr. McRae indicated that staff would seek additional input on the report from the topic specialists involved in creation of the plan and other interested parties and anticipated that staff would continue to report to the council and community on progress in plan implementation. He called attention to some of the agencies the City was collaborating with on implementation. Mr. McRae also noted the City's collaboration with entities such as BRING Recycling, whose Re: Think Program helped local businesses save money by reducing their energy and water use and waste generation. He also reported that Rexius and Lane Forest Products had received permits to compost food waste from grocery stores and restaurants, which would divert material from the landfill and preclude the release of additional methane into the atmosphere. Mr. McRae then shared information about energy use in Eugene that demonstrated progress in reducing the use of gas, natural gas, and electricity. He noted that the trend decline began prior to the economic downturn in 2008, which suggested that the plan's goals were both sustainable and could be achieved without economic hardship. Other related measures demonstrated similar gains. While he acknowledged it was difficult to measure the impact of CEAP on the community's use of energy, Mr. McRae believed Eugene was on the right track. He emphasized the importance of a sustained commitment to ensuring CEAP's ambitious fossil fuel reduction targets were met. Mr. McRae also emphasized the importance of considering what was needed to reduce the physical and financial risks brought about by the projected changes in climate. He reported he had been working with Eugene Emergency Program Manager Joe Rizzi to update the City's Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan to ensure it considered the risks associated with climate change. Staff was also working with other local governments on regional approaches to emergency preparedness and support was growing for a voluntary Willamette Valley compact to more efficiently prepare local communities. Mr. McRae invited questions. Mayor Piercy believed the community's challenge was how to continue to progress on CEAP's goals and not lose ground in the face of an increasing population. She appreciated that staff recognized the City's partners in implementing LEAP. She encouraged staff to present the information to the Eugene Water & Electric Board commissioners. Mr. Poling noted that the Agenda Item Summary stated that the council had unanimously endorsed CEAP in September 2010 but that was not the case. He recalled that instead, the council had adopted a motion that directed the City Manager to implement actions that supported CEAP's goals and objectives, subject to best practices, resources, collaboration with community partners, and council approval of future policy changes. He expressed appreciation for the work that had been done. Mr. Zelenka believed CEAP created a road map to the future for the City and the community. He thought the majority of the actions in CEAP were economically beneficial for Eugene and would leave residents with more money. He hoped that staff was able to track those savings over time. Mr. Zelenka did not think measuring electricity use was a good economic indicator because conservation and increased efficiency drove use down over time. Responding to a question from Mr. Brown, Mr. McRae indicated that methane capture at the landfill was imperfect but did reduce emissions to some degree. Mr. Brown was impressed by the data regarding declines in energy use and determined from City Manager Ruiz that Eugene's population grew at the rate of about one percent per year during the time of decline. MINUTES— Eugene City Council October 10, 2011 Page 2 Work Session