JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE HYBRID MEETING FORMAT April 24th, 2024 at 6pm Room 1406, Permitting and Development Center 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr, Austin, TX 78752 Some members of the Committee may be participating by videoconference Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, call or email Rohan Lilauwala at (rohan.lilauwala@austintexas.gov or 512-974-9394). CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Kaiba White, Chair (Electric Utility Commission) Diana Wheeler, Vice Chair (Urban Transportation Commission) Charlotte Davis (Resource Mgmt. Commission) Haris Qureshi (Environmental Commission) Melissa Rothrock (Zero Waste Advisory Commission) Bertha Delgado (Community Development Commission) Larry Franklin (Austin Travis County Food Policy Board) Chris Maxwell-Gaines (Water & Wastewater Commission) Amy Noel (Economic Prosperity Commission) Stephanie Bazan (Parks & Recreation Board) Jon Salinas (Design Commission) Vacant (City Council) Alice Woods (Planning Commission) Rodrigo Leal (Mayor’s Representative) Anna Scott (Mayor’s Representative) Heather Houser (Mayor’s Representative) Yureisly Suarez (Mayor’s Representative) Christopher Campbell (Mayor’s Representative) For more information, please visit: www.austintexas.gov/jsc AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approval of minutes from the March 27, 2024 meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. Conduct Joint Sustainability Committee Officer Elections for the 2023-2024 Term. DISCUSSION 3. Staff update to the Environmental Investment Plan process to create recommendations – Zach Baumer, Office of Sustainability. 4. UT-City Climate CoLab – Structure, Priorities, and Potential Research Areas - Dev Niyogi, University of Texas-Austin. 5. Joint Sustainability Committee discussion of approach and recommendations on the Environmental Investment Plan. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please contact Rohan Lilauwala at rohan.lilauwala@austintexas.gov or 512-974-9394 for additional information; TTY users’ route through Relay Texas at 711. For more …
Benefit Cost $202.5M, 100% Covered by TCEQ Need to apply for grant funding ASAP: $240 million for trucks; ~$200,000 per charger ($60 million) $10-15+ million one time and $5+ million per year Nearly 1 million (968,400) tons CO2 emissions avoided. air pollution reduction (health benefits), reduced maintenance, lower heat exposure for ARR workers (better AC during hot weather) GHG reduction, plastic pollution reduction, reduce need for new landfill, local economic development, save on ARR tipping fees Consumption Working Group Environmental Plan Proposals Austin JSC April 22, 2024 Proposal ARR Fleet Electrification: Replace all 300 heavy duty Austin Resource Recovery vehicles (flatbed trucks and refuse trucks) with electric vehicles. Install appropriate heavy-duty charging infrastructure to charge these vehicles. Plan: Austin Climate Equity Plan. Circular economy & waste reduction programs • Zero Waste Business Incentives and Rebates: This program provides incentives to businesses to reduce waste, including switching from plastic or styrofoam containers to reusable or compostable. Current program provides a one-time incentive up to $3,000 and is only providing about $5,000/year. The incentive should be restructured to help businesses address ongoing costs (multi-year incentive) and funding should be allocated for additional staff to do outreach to businesses (including all restaurants) ($1 million/year). • ARR zero waste education: Expand to reach the full Austin community, not just ARR customers, including with a paid canvassing team. (increase from $410,000/yr to $4 million/year) • Furniture collection for Reuse Warehouse: Current plan is for drop-off only. Funds are needed to enable pick-up to increase diversion from landfill. ($) • Deconstruction Warehouse: To divert salvaged construction materials from the landfill. ($10-15 million) • Fix-it Clinics: Expand and host more ($500,000/year), • Circular Austin Accelerator and Circular Austin Showcase competition: Expand outreach and an increased number and value of awards for competition winners would increase effectiveness in building a circular economy in Austin. (increase from $ to $); • MoveOutATX: Increase number of events (increase from $/year to $/year); Plan: Austin Resource Recovery Comprehensive Plan & Austin Climate Equity Plan (Food and Product Consumption Goal 2, Strategy 4) Low-carbon concrete fund: Concrete represents the largest of Austin’s purchasing emissions, with potential surcharges for truly carbon neutral cement ranging as high as an additional $18/cubic yard, but with costs falling as new technology scales up. This fund would pay for additional testing, program fees, and surcharges to cover both city and non-city owned buildings of 1.1 M cubic …
Sustainable Buildings WG Recommendations for Environmental Investment Plan 1. Transition Austin Community to Clean Renewable Energy - community wide programs a. Expand energy efficiency programs i. Details: Building Envelope, Air Sealing, heating and cooling, LED lighting, ii. Hot Water, Appliances Benefits: Improved health and safety of buildings and their occupants, Increased building life, Measure building performance, Create an order high need properties, reduced bills iii. Cost: AE budget is $13.6 million/year for existing programs. Goal should be to double this dollar amount to $27.2 million/year. These costs will be offset by reduced AE energy purchases, ancillary services purchases, and transmission costs. b. Expand demand response programs i. Details: Expand price-based demand response programs. Define ‘demand response ready’. Sectors impacts: Buildings, Industry, Transport. Electric hot water tank programs, thermostats, home energy managements systems, commercial and residential battery storage, electric vehicle smart chargers, smart meters Benefits: Automate demand response, improve grid resiliency, reduce peak demand costs, Essential to NetZero goals, leverage current energy crisis ii. iii. Cost: AE budget is $3.6 million/year for existing programs. AE budget should quadruple to $14.4 million/year. These costs will be offset by reduced AE energy purchases when ERCOT prices are high. c. Invest in utility scale battery energy storage i. Details: Battery storage is an important part of a decarbonized grid. Decentralized batteries on resilience hub buildings, school and supportive housing can be used as a virtual power plant (VPP) to help with load shifting during normal use and provide critical resiliency backup energy during outage events. Longer term heat batteries can decarbonize industrial facilities throughout Austin by soaking up excess solar and wind during curtailment and putting energy into those industrial uses, which allows much higher penetration of renewables. Antora, another heat battery system can re-export electricity through its TPV tech. Benefits: Faster grid decarbonization through demand curve flattening and responding to electricity pricing; greater resilience; cheaper, cleaner energy. ii. iii. Cost: Using the average cost of 4-hr duration batteries provided by AE ($1,168/kW), 200 MW would cost $233.7 million. Using the average cost of 8-hr duration batteries provided by AE ($1,992/kW), 400 MW would cost $797 million. Using the average cost of 100-hr duration batteries provided by AE ($2,150/kW), 100 MW would cost $215 million. The combined 700 MW battery investment would cost $1,245.7 million. These costs would be recovered by earnings in the ERCOT energy and ancillary services markets. Heat battery pilots could …
DRAFT Joint Sustainability Commission Transportation, Land Use, and Electrification Environmental Investment Plan Recommendations Recommendation Description: Expand All Ages and Abilities Bicycle Network, Urban Trails, Sidewalks, and Shared Mobility The JSC recommends the City of Austin (COA) invest a total of $2.11 billion to expand the number of Metro Bike stations and to build out the All Ages and Abilities (AAA) Bicycle Priority Network, the Tier One Urban Trails network, and sidewalks and shared streets as recommended in the Urban Transportation Commission's "Climate Equity Investment" Recommendation 20240305-006. We recommend the following specific investments: 1. $48,960,000 to build out an additional 148 miles of the AAA Bicycle Priority Network and meet the 2023 Bike Plan Goal of 380 miles built out by 2026. Projects should be selected using the project prioritization model in the 2023 Bicycle Plan, which scores projects based on equity, destinations & travel demand, connectivity & safety, and cost. Relevant plan sections: Austin Strategic Mobility (ASMP) Bicycle Policy 2, Austin Climate Equity Plan (ACEP) Transportation and Land Use (TLU) Goal 3, and 2023 Bike Plan Item 4.7.la. 2. $22,600,000 to build out an additional 200 Metro Bike Stations to reach the 2023 Bike Plan goal of 300 stations by 2025. The investment should prioritize new stations in low-income areas with high mobility needs and connections to CapMetro's existing high-frequency bus and Metro Rail network. Relevant plan sections: ASMP Shared Mobility Policy 1, ACEP TLU Goal 3, and 2023 Bike Plan Item 4.7.2. 3. $75,826,000 to build out 15.6 miles of Tier One Urban Trails by 2028 and put COA on track to reach the 2023 Urban Trails goal of building all 94 miles of Tier 1 trails by 2043. City Manager should also consider investments to ensure "the Urban Trails Plan is deliver[ing] projects on an accelerated timeline" as the Urban Trails Plan notes doing so is "dependent on increasing internal City of Austin capacity across supporting departments concerning staffing, systems, and the processes for permitting" Urban Trails Plan Section 3.5). Relevant plan sections: See ASMP Urban Trails Policy 2 & 3, ACEP TLU Goal 3, and 2023 Urban Trails Plan Section 3.5. 4. $64,000,000 to build out 136 miles of new sidewalks and 80 miles of shared streets per year through 2028, putting Austin on track to address all "Very High" and "High" priority sidewalks and shared streets within 10 years. Projects in the highest Equity Analysis Zones …
JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE HYBRID MEETING FORMAT March 27th, 2024 at 6pm Council Chambers, City Hall 301 W 2nd St, Austin, TX 78701 Some members of the Committee may be participating by videoconference Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, call or email Rohan Lilauwala at (rohan.lilauwala@austintexas.gov or 512-974-9394). CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Kaiba White, Chair (Electric Utility Commission) Diana Wheeler, Vice Chair (Urban Transportation Commission) Charlotte Davis (Resource Mgmt. Commission) Richard Brimer (Environmental Commission - Alternate) Melissa Rothrock (Zero Waste Advisory Commission) Bertha Delgado (Community Development Commission) Larry Franklin (Austin Travis County Food Policy Board) Chris Maxwell-Gaines (Water & Wastewater Commission) Amy Noel (Economic Prosperity Commission) Stephanie Bazan (Parks & Recreation Board) Jon Salinas (Design Commission) Vacant (City Council) Alice Woods (Planning Commission) Rodrigo Leal (Mayor’s Representative) Anna Scott (Mayor’s Representative) Heather Houser (Mayor’s Representative) Yureisly Suarez (Mayor’s Representative) Christopher Campbell (Mayor’s Representative) For more information, please visit: www.austintexas.gov/jsc AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approval of minutes from the February 28th meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee. DISCUSSION 2. Presentation on the goals and strategies in the draft Austin-Travis County Food Policy Plan – Sergio Torres-Peralta, Office of Sustainability 3. Navigating Funding Opportunities – Erik Nelson and Belinda Weaver, Financial Services Department. 4. Presentation on the Staff Response to Resolution 20240215-025, the “Environmental Investment Plan” – Zach Baumer, Office of Sustainability. 5. Public Hearing on Resolution 20240215-025, the “Environmental Investment Plan” DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 6. Approve FY25 budget recommendations to support the implementation of the Austin Climate Equity Plan as it relates to the objectives of the Joint Sustainability Committee. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 …
JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING MEETING MINUTES Feb 28, 2024 The Joint Sustainability Committee convened in a hybrid meeting via videoconferencing and at Permitting and Development Center. Chair Kaiba White called the Board Meeting to order at 6:09 pm. Board Members in Attendance in Person: Kaiba White, Rodrigo Leal, Anna Scott, Jon Salinas, Chris Maxwell-Gaines, Christopher Campbell, Haris Qureshi, Charlotte Davis, Larry Franklin Board Members in Attendance Remotely: Diana Wheeler, Stephanie Bazan, Melissa Rothrock, Amy Noel, Heather Houser, Alberta Phillips Board Members Absent: Yure Suarez, Bertha Delgado City Staff in Attendance: Rohan Lilauwala, Zach Baumer CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION • Charlie Mossburger – St. Edwards Civic lab. o Spoke about ‘Get Fertilizer Wiser’ program to replace plants that have low fertilizer requirements • Chioma Okoro – street nurse o Spoke about mental health initiatives 1. Approval of minutes from the Jan 24th meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee. • Qureshi motions to approve, Davis seconds, passes on 13-0 vote (Franklin, Phillips off dais) 2. Discussion on the benefits of adopting and implementing the Great Streets Initiative –Kevin Howard • Presentation on Great Streets Initiative • Commissioners discussed details and logistics of supporting a measure at length. 15. Approve a recommendation supporting adoption and implementation of the Great Streets Initiative. • Proposed amendments to clarify goals, add safety for bicycles and peds. • Salinas motions to support goals of Great Streets Initiative. Salinas motions, Davis seconds, passes 14-0 (Phillips off dais). 3. Discussion of next steps on the Environmental Investment Plan Resolution (Item 25 from 2/15 Council Meeting). • JSC will need to hold public hearing in May/Apr • Mar – broad, public input • Apr – narrow, possible staff draft list • May 1 – JSC presentation due; May 30 – staff response due • This is parallel with budget recommendations • JSC has commissioners over many of the plans. Homework for March meeting – each working group to look at each of the plans related to their group. • White to write a short message to share with home commissions 16. Creation of working group to advise on public input and recommendations that are responsive to the Environmental Investment Plan (Item 25 passed by the Austin City Council on 2/15). • Office of Sustainability staff support for working group • White, Leal, Scott, Qureshi, Davis, Salinas, Campbell, Franklin volunteer to be on • White motions to create a …
A Food Plan for Austin-Travis County Find your seat at the table Some Food for Thought Developing a Food Plan What is a Food Plan & why do we need one? ● A Food Plan sets clear Goals and Strategies to move toward a more equitable, sustainable & resilient food system ● The Food Plan builds on several other initiatives made by the County, City, and Communities to tackle key food system issues. ● The Food Plan centers equity and the lived expertise of those most impacted by the current food system Good to Know ● On June 2021 Austin City Council directed the City Manager to initiate a planning process ● Travis County Commissioners Court approved formal participation in the plan in fall 2022 ● A draft was released on March 18th and it’s now open for public comment. Link to full resolution Project Timeline Phase 0: Planning for the Plan Phase 1: Vision Development Phase 2: Goal & Strategy Development Phase 3: Review and Ground truthing September 2021 - January 2023 March - August 2023 September 2023 - February 2024 February - Summer/Fall 2024 We are here ● ● ● ● Building Community Awareness 📰 Release of State of the Food System Report 📚 Onboarding Planning Consultant⭐ Recruitment of Community Teams🚀 ● Website launch 📶 ● World Cafe’s ☕ ● ● ● ● Listening Sessions & Tabling at events 📞 Equity Grounding Workshops 🤝 Community Circles 👐 Selecting Issue Area Groups🍽 ● ● ● ● Issue Area Group Meetings 🏘 Develop Goals and Strategies 🎯 Review Goals and Strategies Develop a draft for the Food Plan 🖊 ● ● ● ● Community Review of Plan 👀 Council and Commissioner Review ⚖ Approval 👍 Adoption 🏁 Co-creating the plan ● Planning Team: Coordinating and managing all moving parts ○ Includes: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ City of Austin staff Travis County staff Consultant Team Equity Consultants Austin Travis Food Policy Board Executive Leadership Team ● Community Advisory Committee: Advisory body overseeing the planning process ● Issue Area Groups: Developing goals and strategies for the plan ● Community Food Ambassadors: Connecting the plan to our communities ● Broader community feedback: Provide input at different stages of the plan Food Plan Structure ● Vision: Describes and articulates our shared aim - the kind of future we agree we would like to move toward together. ● Objectives: The ends towards …
20240215-025 “Environmental Investment Plan” March 27, 2024 1 Resolution 20240215-025 Reaffirm commitment to net-zero by 2040, act with urgency. Prepare options and costs of capital improvements or programs that would: 1. Reduce carbon emissions 2. Decrease water usage and improve water quality and detention 3. Advance the sustainability of City Operations, and 4. Improve Community Resilience Public hearing of the JSC in March (27) / April (24) to gather input from the public JSC to submit any recommendations for investments to Council by May 1 Review whether recommendations can be funded through: - Utility rates and fees - General Fund Expenditures - Grants - General Obligation Bonds (may include Nov 2024) 2 Resolution 20240215-025 Analyze investments needed to fulfill the following adopted plans: - Climate Equity Plan - Water Forward - Watershed Protection Strategic Plan - Green Infrastructure Strengths and Gaps Assessment - One Austin: Climate Resilience Action Plan - Austin Strategic Mobility Plan - ARR Comprehensive Plan - AE Resource Generation Plan - - Austin Travis County Wildfire Preparedness Plan - Central Texas Regional Air Quality Plan - Urban Forest Plan - Austin Travis County Food Plan, State of the Food System Report, & Supply Chain Vulnerability PARD Land Management Plan and Long Range Plan Assessment Analysis should also identify options for fulfilling either all or specific elements of these plans before their current target date. 3 Resolution 20240215-025 Identify capital improvements and programs that would maximize potential Inflation Reduction Act tax credits, and to develop a mechanism for reinvestment of reimbursement from such credits into similarly climate-focused capital improvements and programs, where appropriate. Provide information detailing recommendations or actions taken to promote inter-departmental coordination to ensure that departments have an aligned approach to combating the threats of the climate crisis and natural hazards, including wildfire and flooding. Present to the City Council on or before May 30,2024, with an update of the Austin Climate Equity Plan dashboard, a combined inventory of plan recommendations, and a briefing or memo on applications and opportunities for federal funding relevant to an environmental investment plan. Public hearing on May 30 to consider this Environmental Investment Plan 4 What are they really looking for? Council Member R. Alter’s Office communicated that: - They’re not looking for business as usual spending. - They’re not looking for spending to make annual incremental progress. - They’re looking for the DELTA between our current trajectory and fully …
Joint Sustainability Committee RECOMMENDATION 20240327-XX Date: March 27, 2024 Subject: Austin Energy Budget Recommendations Motioned By: Seconded By: Recommendations on the FY 24-25 Budget Description of Recommendation to Council 1. Low-Income Bill Discounts: Austin Energy customers pay a dedicated Customer Assistance Program fee to provide bill discounts for low-income customers. The purpose of this fee is to provide needed support in a transparent way. Forcing solar to pay for low-income discounts (as is the current structure of Austin Energy’s Community Solar program) only serves to slow the transition to clean energy. Low-income discounts are needed regardless of the source of energy. The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that all bill discounts for lower-income residents be paid from the Customer Assistance Program fund, including bill discounts for low-income Community Solar subscribers. 2. Transmission Improvements: Improvements to Austin Energy’s transmission system are essential for mitigating local congestion that increases costs to the utility and customers and for enabling the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. Austin Energy commissioned a study that identified five recommended types of transmission upgrades. The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that these recommended upgrades be implemented as quickly as possible and that sufficient funding be allocated to this need to ensure that that of funds is not a source of delay. 3. Fayette Coal Plant: Austin Energy and the Austin City Council have established that shutting down Austin Energy’s portion of the Fayette coal plant is a top priority. Investing in an asset that the utility is actively trying to shut down is not a prudent use of ratepayer or utility funds. The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that the budget not include any capital investments in Fayette.
Joint Sustainability Committee RECOMMENDATION 20240327-XX Date: March 27, 2024 Subject: Food Plan Budget Recommendation Motioned By: Seconded By: Recommendations on the FY 24-25 Budget Description of Recommendation to Council Food Plan Implementation: The Austin/Travis County Food Plan will soon be completed. The plan includes a number of strategies that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Austin Climate Equity Plan also includes strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food consumption and to improve carbon sequestration as part of food production. This work is complex and has the potential to yield significant emissions and equity benefits. The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that: one (1) Food Plan Project Manager be added to the Office of Sustainability. (est. $150,000) In addition to implementing the Food Plan, this position should be responsible for implementation of the strategies related to food consumption and food production in the Climate Equity Plan.
Joint Sustainability Committee | Navigating Funding Opportunities Council Resolution Key Takeaways • Identify capital improvements and programs that would maximize potential Inflation Reduction Act tax credits, and develop a mechanism for reinvestments of reimbursement from such credits into similarly climate focused capital improvements and programs. • Review and identify which investments from the Committee have the option of being funded through utility rates and fees, general fund expenditures, grants, and/or bond instruments. Resolution: https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=424874 Funding Sources FY 2024 All City Operating Funds – $5.5 Billion Convention Center 5% Aviation 5% Austin Water 13% Austin Resource Recovery 2% General Fund Operations 24% GO Debt Service 4% Internal Service Operations 7% Other Expenses 6% Watershed Protection 2% Austin Energy 28% Transportation and Public Works 4% Funding Sources Utility Rates and Fees • $1.7 billion projected revenue for FY 2024. • 90% from rates and 10% from fees. • AE’s major expenditures include power supply costs, wholesale transmission costs, operating and maintenance expenses, debt service, investment in capital improvements, and transfers to the City’s General Fund. • Energy Efficiency Programs funded by the Community Benefit Charge include: • Rebates and incentives for energy efficiency improvements • Rebates for installation of rooftop solar systems • Austin Energy Green Building Program Funding Sources Utility Rates and Fees • $698.2 million projected revenue for FY 2023‐24. AW utilizes water and wastewater rate revenue through their operating budget and capital improvement program. • AW’s major expenditures include operating and maintenance costs, debt service payments, and transfers to other City funds, including the General Fund, Utility Billing Support, and Administrative Support. • GoPurple Program ‐ Increases use of reclaimed water in and around Austin. By 2040, onsite water reuse will save an estimated 6 million gallons of potable water per day. o Funded through a combination of fees and rates. Funding Sources FY 2024 General Fund Revenue – $1.4 Billion Sales Tax 27.8% Other Revenue 13.1% Utility Transfers 12.1% Property Tax 47.0% Funding Sources FY 2024 Budgeted General Fund Expenditures – 1.4 Billion Police 35% Housing and Planning 2% Parks and Recreation 9% Forensic Science 1% Municipal Court 3% Animal Services 2% EMS 9% Transfers & Other 7% Fire 18% Austin Public Health 9% Library 5% Funding Sources General Fund • The General Fund mainly consists of revenue from property taxes, sales taxes, and utility transfers. $1.4 billion projected revenue for FY 2023‐24. • The General Fund can …
Joint Sustainability Committee RECOMMENDATION 20240327-006 Date: March 27, 2024 Subject: Joint Sustainability Committee Budget Recommendations (Part 2) Recommendations on the FY 24-25 Budget Description of Recommendation to Council 1. Low-Income Bill Discounts: Austin Energy customers pay a dedicated Customer Assistance Program fee to provide bill discounts for low-income customers. The purpose of this fee is to provide needed support in a transparent way. Forcing solar to pay for low-income discounts (as is the current structure of Austin Energy’s Community Solar program) only serves to slow the transition to clean energy. Low-income discounts are needed regardless of the source of energy. The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that all bill discounts for lower-income residents be paid from the Customer Assistance Program fund, including bill discounts for low-income Community Solar subscribers. Motion: Christopher Campbell Second: Amy Noel Vote: 12-0 Yes: Kaiba White, Rodrigo Leal, Anna Scott, Jon Christopher Campbell, Richard Brimer, Charlotte Davis, Diana Wheeler, Chris Maxwell-Gaines, Craig Nazor, Jon Salinas, Amy Noel, Alice Woods, Chris Campbell Off Dais: Anna Scott Absent: Yure Suarez, Heather Houser, Bertha Delgado, Stephanie Bazan 2. Transmission Improvements: Improvements to Austin Energy’s transmission system are essential for mitigating local congestion that increases costs to the utility and customers and for enabling the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. Austin Energy commissioned a study that identified five recommended types of transmission upgrades. The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that these recommended upgrades be implemented as quickly as possible, by 2030, and that sufficient funding be allocated to this need to ensure that that of funds is not a source of delay. Motion: Christopher Campbell Second: Amy Noel Vote: 12-0 Yes: Kaiba White, Rodrigo Leal, Anna Scott, Jon Christopher Campbell, Richard Brimer, Charlotte Davis, Diana Wheeler, Chris Maxwell-Gaines, Craig Nazor, Jon Salinas, Amy Noel, Alice Woods, Chris Campbell Off Dais: Anna Scott Absent: Yure Suarez, Heather Houser, Bertha Delgado, Stephanie Bazan 3. Fayette Coal Plant: Austin Energy and the Austin City Council have established that shutting down Austin Energy’s portion of the Fayette coal plant is a top priority. Investing in an asset that the utility is actively trying to shut down is not a prudent use of ratepayer or utility funds. The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that the budget not include any capital investments in Fayette. The Joint Sustainability Committee also recommends allocating $175,000 to support water quality monitoring and remediation. Motion: Christopher Campbell Second: Amy Noel Vote: 12-0 …
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 BYLAWS OF THE Joint Sustainability Committee ARTICLE 1. NAME. The name of the board is Joint Sustainability Committee. ARTICLE 2. PURPOSE AND DUTIES. The purpose of the board is to advise the council on matters related to conservation and sustainability; and review City policies and procedures relevant to the Austin Community Climate Plan and the Austin Climate Equity Plan, including planning, implementation, community engagement, goal setting, and progress monitoring; promote close cooperation between the council, City management, City boards, commissions, committees, and taskforces, and individuals, institutions, and agencies concerned with the politics, procedures, and implementation of the Austin Community Climate Plan and the Austin Climate Equity Plan with the goal of coordinating all similar activities within the City and the community in order to secure the greatest public benefit; and forward to the city manager all advisory material that the joint committee provides to the council, the Office of Sustainability, City departments and offices, or City boards, commissions, committees, and task forces. ARTICLE 3. MEMBERSHIP. (A) The board is composed of eighteen members. Twelve members are each a representative of the Austin Travis County Food Policy Board , Community Development Commission, the Economic Prosperity Commission, the Electric Utility Commission, the Environmental Commission, the Parks and Recreation Board, the Planning Commission, the Resource Management Commission, the Urban Transportation Commission, the Water and Wastewater Commission, the Zero Waste Advisory Commission, and the Design Commission. To ensure adequate community stakeholder representation and improve racial diversity, the council committee assigned oversight of social service policies will nominate one individual to serve on the joint committee and the mayor will nominate five individuals to serve on the joint committee. A nomination to the joint committee under this subsection is subject to approval by a majority vote of the council. Council will consider the racial composition of the joint committee when making new appointments. (B) A member serves at the pleasure of the city council. (C) Board members serve for a term of four years beginning March 1st on the year of appointment. (D) An individual board member may not act in an official capacity except through the action of …
JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE HYBRID MEETING FORMAT February 28, 2024 at 6pm Council Chambers, City Hall 301 W 2nd St, Austin, TX 78701 Some members of the BOARD/COMMISSION may be participating by videoconference. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, call or email Zach Baumer at (zach.baumer@austintexas.gov or 415-694-3111). CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Kaiba White, Chair (Electric Utility Commission) Diana Wheeler, Vice Chair (Urban Transportation Commission) Charlotte Davis (Resource Mgmt. Commission) Haris Qureshi (Environmental Commission) Melissa Rothrock (Zero Waste Advisory Commission) Bertha Delgado (Community Development Commission) Larry Franklin (Austin Travis County Food Policy Board) Chris Maxwell-Gaines (Water & Wastewater Commission) Amy Noel (Economic Prosperity Commission) Stephanie Bazan (Parks & Recreation Board) Jon Salinas (Design Commission) Vacant (City Council) Alice Woods (Planning Commission) Rodrigo Leal (Mayor’s Representative) Anna Scott (Mayor’s Representative) Heather Houser (Mayor’s Representative) Yureisly Suarez (Mayor’s Representative) Christopher Campbell (Mayor’s Representative) For more information, please visit: www.austintexas.gov/jsc AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three- minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approval of minutes from the January 24th meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee. DISCUSSION Council Meeting). 2. Discussion on the benefits of adopting and implementing the Great Streets Initiative. 3. Discussion of next steps on the Environmental Investment Plan Resolution (Item 25 from 2/15 4. Discussion of Joint Sustainability Committee strategic plan. 5. Update from the Zero Waste Advisory Commission on the Litter Abatement program, the Household Hazardous Waste door-to-door pilot program, multi-family composting, reports in progress, upcoming solicitations, a supplemental brush and bulk contract, and Digital Solutions for Waste Management Contract. 6. Update from the Urban Transportation Commission on Austin Transit Partnership light rail planning and next phases and MetroBike. 7. Update from the Planning Commission on DB-90 which creates a density bonus zoning district in an effort to replace VMU2 and Residential in Commercial density bonus programs that were invalidated by a lawsuit in December, in addition the Planning …
Joint Sustainability Committee RECOMMENDATION 20240228-XXX Date: February 28, 2024 Subject: Joint Sustainability Committee Budget Recommendations (Consumption & Natural Systems) Motioned By: Seconded By: Recommendation Description of Recommendation to Council Food and Product Consumption Budget Needs 1. Sustainable Purchasing: The City of Austin Climate Equity Plan Food & Product Consumption Goal 2 says “By 2030, greenhouse gas emissions from institutional, commercial, and government purchasing are reduced by at least 50%.“ Strategy 2 to achieve that goal is “Strengthen the City’s sustainable purchasing program.” Recent analysis by the Office of Sustainability shows that over 80% of the City of Austin’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the products and services that the city purchases. It is essential that the City establish a comprehensive Sustainable Purchasing Plan that sets minimum standards for all products and services the City procures. And the City must prioritize ongoing staff support to educate all departments on sustainable purchasing and ensure that purchasing decisions comply with the Sustainable Purchasing Plan. The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that: a. $125,000 be allocated to hire a sustainable purchasing contractor and/or purchase needed software and databases to develop a Sustainable Purchasing Plan that sets minimum standards for all products, materials and services purchased by the city; and b. A full-time Sustainable Purchasing Director position should be added to the Purchasing Department. If an FTE is determined to be infeasible in this budget cycle, a temporary Sustainable Purchasing Director position should be established and funded. Natural Systems Budget Needs 2. Converting Impervious Cover to Functional Green: The City of Austin Climate Equity Plan Natural Systems Goal 4 says “By 2030, include all City-owned lands under a management plan that results in neutral or negative carbon emissions and maximizes community co-benefits.” Strategy 2 to achieve this goal is “Reclaim public space and prioritize green infrastructure.” There is no inventory of the unnecessary impervious cover on City-owned lands, or a plan for converting those areas to functional green. Areas along city streets, in and around parking lots, at city buildings, and in city parks all need evaluation and a plan to remediate. The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that $200,000 be allocated to audit City-owned non-functional or unnecessary impervious cover, including surface-level parking lots, and develop a plan to convert an ambitious percentage of these to functional green uses as soon as practical. 3. No Mow Signage: The City of Austin Climate Equity Plan Natural Systems Goal …
Joint Sustainability Committee RECOMMENDATION 20240228-XXX Subject: Joint Sustainability Committee Budget Recommendations (Sustainable Buildings) Motioned By: Seconded By: Date: February 28, 2024 Recommendation Description of Recommendation to Council 1. Implement a Passiveand Embodied Carbon Reduction House Pilot Program: The Passive House standard (developed by nonprofit Phius)1 is the most rigorous energy efficiency building code, and provides dramatic reductions in energy use. Buildings meeting this standard are significantly more resilient, quieter, have better indoor air quality, and help the grid by reducing peak demand. This standard is now code minimum in many municipalities and is included in 20 states’ affordable housing scoring metrics. Although some affordable housing developments have come close to meeting the Passive House standard, none have met it yet. In addition to reducing energy use in buildings, reducing the embodied carbon in the materials used in construction is also important. Conducting an embodied carbon analysis during the initial design phase of a building gives the developer an opportunity to select more sustainable building materials. A pilot program will provide financial assistance to achieve certification and collect data to demonstrate the value of achieving the Passive House standard and how to reduce embodied carbon in building materials, and should help drive the market toward utilizing 1 https://www.phius.org/certifications/projects/project-certification-overview Passive House more broadly. The Energy Efficiency Programs fee2 that all customers pay as part of their Austin Energy bills is intended to fund energy efficiency programs, such as this. A local Passive House incentive would help affordable housing developers maximize utilization of the Inflation Reduction Act 45L tax credit because projects certifying with Passive House also receive Zero Energy Ready Home certification and get $5,000 per unit in tax credits. The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that: a. $2 million be allocated from the Energy Efficiency Programs fund for an Affordable Housing Passive House and Embodied Carbon Reduction Pilot Program to provide incentives to income-restricted affordable housing. Affordable housing projects that certify with Phius and conduct an embodied carbon analysis should be eligible for rebates, paid in three milestone payments during design (for hiring a consultant and committing to certification), construction (for precertification), and completion (for final certification). Projects should be required to share construction cost data, both hard and soft, and post-occupancy energy usage data. b. The Austin Energy Green Building department should be allocated 1 additional FTE or temporary position to develop and administer the program, in close consultation with stakeholders. …
Joint Sustainability Committee RECOMMENDATION 20240228-XXX Subject: Joint Sustainability Committee Budget Recommendations (Low-Carbon Concrete) Motioned By: Seconded By: Date: February 28, 2024 Recommendation Description of Recommendation to Council Low carbon concrete: The City of Austin Climate Equity Plan Goal 3 says : “By 2030, reduce the embodied carbon footprint of building materials used in local construction by 40%.”. Producing concrete emits CO2 through energy required to produce it as well as the chemical process, and procuring the concrete we need to grow represents a significant portion of Austin’s footprint: 78,700 metric tons in 2023, and construction has the highest impact on carbon in terms of total city spend. Growing Austin while reducing our carbon footprint thus requires the use of low concrete concrete technology, but testing is required before scaling novel materials. Thus, the JSC recommends that $150,000 be allocated to the Office of the City Engineer division of Austin Transportation and Public Works Department for 1. Field pour demonstrations using concrete containing a total cementitious content that is 50% or more decarbonized relative to a national ordinary portland cement average embodied carbon intensity of 922 kilograms per tonne of cement, and 2. An intern to assist the Department of Engineers to procure and implement the cement testing. This work should be conducted in close coordination with the Office of Sustainability and Capital Delivery Services.
JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION Date: February 28, 2024 Subject: Green Streets Initiative Recommendations Recommendation Support of the Green Streets Initiative Description of Recommendation to Council The Joint Sustainability recommends that the Austin City Council approve the proposed Green Streets Initiative that minimizes barriers to plant and maintain street trees located in R.O.W’s for both public and private projects. Rationale: Prioritizing street trees in R.O.W’s aligns with the goals of the Austin Climate Equity plan. Specifically as it supports the improvement of air quality and temperature reduction within Austin’s Urban Core.
