HomeMy WebLinkAbout2.11.2019 City Council Work Session MinutesMINUTES
Joint Work Session of the Eugene City Council
and Eugene Water & Electric Board of Commissioners
Harris Hall, 125 East 8�h Avenue
Eugene, Oregon 97401
February 11, 2019
5:30 p.m.
Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Betty Taylor, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Claire
Syrett, Chris Pryor, Greg Evans
EWEB Commissioners Present: Sonya Carlson, John Brown, Dick Helgeson, Steve Mital,
Mindy Schlossberg
Mayor Vinis opened the February 11, 2019, Work Session of the Eugene City Council.
Board Chair Sonya Carlson opened the February 11, 2019, meeting of the Eugene Water & Electric
Board of Commissioners.
JOINT WORK SESSION: Climate and Energy Discussions
Sustainability and Intergovernmental Relations Manager Ethan Nelson, EWEB General Manager
Frank Lawson and EWEB Governmental Affairs Coordinator Jason Heuser presented an update
on climate and energy related policies, programs and planning efforts.
Discussion
• Councilor Clark- asked about the source for population forecasts used for data analysis; the
potential impacts of the proposed State cap and trade legislation on local climate goals; and
whether the gap is from sector -based or consumption -based emissions.
• Councilor Semple - asked for clarification about cap and trade legislation, carbon pricing,
the threshold for emissions, and where the money from a carbon tax is used.
• Commissioner Brown - explained EWEB's electric vehicle strategy, noting its relationship to
SG technology; encouraged consideration of downtown buildings that transitioned to
natural gas when steam plant was decommissioned.
• Councilor Syrett - appreciated EWEB's focus on climate change, particularly the social
equity considerations of their strategies and decision-making.
• Councilor Evans - asked about anticipated equity benefits derived from cap and trade or
carbon pricing initiatives; exploring the use of carbon tax funds for grant purposes.
• Commissioner Mital - noted that EWEB's contribution to addressing the City's climate goals
were distilled down to five strategies; asked for help in understanding what commitments
the City is willing to make to achieve its goals.
• Councilor Pryor - asked for clarification about how the cap and trade legislation could work
together with the City's climate goals; affirmed commitment of council to continue pursuing
the City's climate goals.
• Councilor Taylor - asked questions about EWEB's strategy around natural gas conversion
and the safety of SG installations; supported outreach and partnerships to mitigate impacts
on lower-income customers.
• Commissioner Schlossberg - encouraged consideration of updates the rental housing code
to incentivize upgrades to higher -efficiency energy systems; urged council to include EWEB
I future discussions of transportation issues.
MINUTES — Eugene City Council February 11, 2019 Page 1
Joint Work Session
• Councilor Zelenka - supported devoting most time and energy to sectors that have the
greatest carbon emissions and impacts; noted that appliances and vehicles are getting
smarter with the ability to control the optimum time for use.
• Commissioner Helgesen - asked his colleagues to be mindful of the longer-term
consequences of strategies and decisions and to consider the lifecycle of energy sources;
said EWEB's decisions must have a nexus with utility purposes.
• Councilor Clark - asked questions about the impacts of natural gas conversions, including
whether a radical limit on natural gas would double the peak draw on electricity, and
whether the generation source for meeting the new demand will have a greater carbon
impact in today's environment; Inquired about the effect of a cap and trade policy on the
emerging electric vehicle industry.
• Commissioner Carlson - outlined each of the tenets of EWEB's strategic plan and their
alignment with local carbon and climate conversations and initiatives; supported City
efforts to address impacts of carbon emissions from rental housing.
• Councilor Yeh - asked about how a council decision to limit natural gas usage to its current
capacity might impact EWEB's carbon reduction strategies.
• Commissioner Mital - said that if the State establishes a goal and mechanism to reduce
carbon emissions, it will be important to know how much of the City's goals will be met and
what gaps will still exist; asked about retargeting goals.
• Mayor Vinis - thanked the councilors and commissioners for their participation and
encouraged further synchronization of climate and carbon reduction efforts.
The meeting adjourned at 7:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
&th d,4�
Beth Forrest
City Recorder
Link to the webcast of this City Council meeting: here
MINUTES - Eugene City Council February 11, 2019 Page 2
Joint Work Session