HomeMy WebLinkAbout190211-WS2MINUTES – Eugene City Council February 11, 2019 Page 1
Joint Work Session
M I N U T E S
Joint Work Session of the Eugene City Council
and Eugene Water & Electric Board of Commissioners
Harris Hall, 125 East 8th 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.
1. 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 5G 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 5G 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.