JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE HYBRID MEETING FORMAT November 20th, 2024 at 6 pm Austin Energy – Mueller Assembly Room 1111 4815 Mueller Blvd, Austin, TX 78723 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, email or call Rohan Lilauwala at (Rohan.lilauwala@austintexas.gov or 512-974-9394). Alternate Randall Chapman Member Kaiba White (Chair) Charlotte Davis (Vice-Chair) Genell Gary Diana Wheeler Haris Qureshi Melissa Rothrock Vacant CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Home Commission Electric Utility Commission Resource Management Commission Urban Transportation Commission Environmental Commission Zero Waste Advisory Commission Community Development Commission Austin Travis County Food Policy Board Marissa Bell Economic Prosperity Commission Water & Wastewater Commission Parks & Recreation Board Design Commission Planning Commission Austin/Travis County Public Health Commission City Council Mayor’s Representative Mayor’s Representative Mayor’s Representative Mayor’s Representative Mayor’s Representative Amy Noel Chris Maxwell-Gaines Lane Becker Vacant Vacant Natalie Poindexter Vacant Rodrigo Leal Anna Scott Yure Suarez Christopher Campbell Heather Houser For more information, please visit: www.austintexas.gov/jsc Vacant Richard Brimer Craig Nazor Miriam Garcia Rosamaria Murillo Luis Osta Lugo Vacant Ben Luckens Alberta Phillips Vacant Vacant 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 October 23rd, 2024 meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee. DISCUSSION Sustainability Norris, Austin Energy Marissa Bell 2. Austin Climate Equity Plan Implementation Update – Braden Latham-Jones, Office of 3. Heat Pump Survey Response and Strategy – Zach Baumer, Office of Sustainability, and Sara 4. Update from Austin-Travis County Food Plan on Food Plan Implementation Resolution - 5. Update from Austin-Travis County Public Health Commission regarding draft recommendations for Community Health Workers, goals and priorities for 2025, and public health weather-related issues and flu season – Natalie Poindexter DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 6. Recommendation on Austin Energy Generation Plan Grant 7. Recommendation in support of the City pursuing a Low Carbon Transportation Materials FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed …
JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE HYBRID MEETING FORMAT November 20th, 2024 at 6 pm Austin Energy – Mueller Assembly Room 1111 4815 Mueller Blvd, Austin, TX 78723 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, email or call Rohan Lilauwala at (Rohan.lilauwala@austintexas.gov or 512-974-9394). Alternate Randall Chapman Member Kaiba White (Chair) Charlotte Davis (Vice-Chair) Genell Gary Diana Wheeler Haris Qureshi Melissa Rothrock Vacant CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Home Commission Electric Utility Commission Resource Management Commission Urban Transportation Commission Environmental Commission Zero Waste Advisory Commission Community Development Commission Austin Travis County Food Policy Board Marissa Bell Economic Prosperity Commission Water & Wastewater Commission Parks & Recreation Board Design Commission Planning Commission Austin/Travis County Public Health Commission City Council Mayor’s Representative Mayor’s Representative Mayor’s Representative Mayor’s Representative Mayor’s Representative Amy Noel Chris Maxwell-Gaines Lane Becker Vacant Vacant Natalie Poindexter Vacant Rodrigo Leal Anna Scott Yure Suarez Christopher Campbell Heather Houser For more information, please visit: www.austintexas.gov/jsc Vacant Richard Brimer Craig Nazor Miriam Garcia Rosamaria Murillo Luis Osta Lugo Vacant Ben Luckens Alberta Phillips Vacant Vacant AGENDA ADDENDUM CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL APPROVAL OF MINUTES DISCUSSION 8. Discussion of process of identifying and acquiring land in accordance of City of Austin Resolution No. 20240814-024 on Creating a Dedicated Land Acquisition Fund – Charlotte Davis 9. Update from Resource Management Commission on Austin Energy's Solar for All grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Charlotte Davis DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 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 information on the Joint Sustainability Committee, please email or call Rohan Lilauwala at rohan.lilauwala@austintexas.gov or 512-974-9394.
JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING MEETING MINUTES October 23, 2024 The Joint Sustainability Committee convened in a hybrid meeting via videoconferencing and at City Hall. Board Members in Attendance in Person: Kaiba White, Rodrigo Leal, Marissa Bell, Chris Maxwell-Gaines, Charlotte Davis Board Members in Attendance Remotely: Amy Noel, Lane Becker, Diana Wheeler, Heather Houser, Melissa Rothrock, Anna Scott, Chris Campbell Board Members Absent: Yure Suarez, Jon Salinas, Haris Qureshi, Natalie Poindexter City Staff in Attendance: Leti Alvarez Jim Dymkowski Daniel Priest Naomi Rotramel CALL TO ORDER Chair Kaiba White called the meeting to order at 6:09 pm. 1. Approval of minutes from the September 25, 2024 meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee. Chris Maxwell-Gaines motion, Houser seconds, passes 12-0. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL 2. Presentation on low-carbon concrete – Johanna Anderson, EPA • K. White –Clarification on Federal highway/transportation departments is already utilizing concrete that’s already in the top 20% of best? o Johanna – Federal funding flows to the development of the building of highways is it goes from the federal highways department directly to state department of transportations and then they use that funding to build roads. • Bell – Procurement, curious do you imagine people utilizing these labels without limiting fair and open competition and meeting any procurement regulations that are required o Johanna – Initially you might give extra points for a product that has a label. Like any new sustainable product on the marketplace, one might set up a separate agreement for the sustainable products versus the lesser. Market availability, purchasers will have to do their due diligence and provide situation-by-situation basis. • Kaiba – Looks like this grant closes 11/25, will they be able to get something together in a month? o Johanna – In general grant programs there’s a real interest in reaching folks that are not professional grant writers so I would assume that the federal highways grant is going that way also. • Anna Scott – How to we implement this? And how to we implement faster? o Johanna – There are tools already. I would say see how the federal government is doing it. Looking at how to take the approach, prioritizing, finding partners most willing, testing out carbon concrete, see what work is being done. • K. White – You talked about standards for the environmental product declarations, should we expect that they’re automatically adhering to those standards? Are they …
Joint Sustainability Committee Resolution 20241120-XXX on Austin Energy Resource Plan WHEREAS, on August 8, 2019, the Austin City Council adopted a resolution declaring a climate emergency and calling “for an immediate emergency mobilization to restore a safe climate” and directing the city manager to take a number of steps to accelerate local greenhouse gas emissions reductions, including from Austin Energy; and WHEREAS, in 2020, the Austin City Council adopted the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2030, which states that “Austin Energy will maintain an energy supply portfolio sufficient to offset customer demand while eliminating carbon and other pollutant emissions from its electric generation facilities as rapidly as feasible within the limitations set by the Austin City Council.” and states that “and all generation resources will be carbon-free by 2035;” and WHEREAS, the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2030 also states that “Austin Energy will no longer purchase, contract for or build long-term generation or storage resources that emit new carbon”; and WHEREAS, in 2021, the Austin City Council adopted the Austin Climate Equity Plan, which includes community-wide greenhouse gas reduction goals to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, with about 75% reduction by 2030; and WHEREAS, electrification is a key strategy for reducing and eliminating greenhouse gas emissions in many sectors and Carbon-Free electricity is needed to achieve those goals; and WHEREAS, on June 8, 2023, the Austin City Council adopted a resolution endorsing the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and a plan for “transitioning to a 100 percent clean energy economy, phase out fossil fuel production, and invest in communities on the frontlines of environmental injustice;” and WHEREAS, ground level ozone and particulate matter air pollution in the Austin region already exceed the health-based standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and CAPCOG has identified that increased NOx emissions from electric generating units, including Austin Energy's power plants, as highly correlated with high local ozone measurements; and WHEREAS, the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2030 references an affordability goal and affordability remains important to many customers, but the workshops that Austin Energy hosted as part of this process to update the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan revealed that a large majority of participants are supportive of allowing rate increases beyond the current goal of two percent per year, so long as low-income customers are shielded …
Joint Sustainability Committee Resolution 20241120-XXX on Austin Energy Resource Plan WHEREAS, on August 8, 2019, the Austin City Council adopted a resolution declaring a climate emergency and calling “for an immediate emergency mobilization to restore a safe climate” and directing the city manager to take a number of steps to accelerate local greenhouse gas emissions reductions, including from Austin Energy; and WHEREAS, in 2020, the Austin City Council adopted the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2030, which states that “Austin Energy will maintain an energy supply portfolio sufficient to offset customer demand while eliminating carbon and other pollutant emissions from its electric generation facilities as rapidly as feasible within the limitations set by the Austin City Council.” and states that “and all generation resources will be carbon-free by 2035;” and WHEREAS, the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2030 also states that “Austin Energy will no longer purchase, contract for or build long-term generation or storage resources that emit new carbon”; and WHEREAS, in 2021, the Austin City Council adopted the Austin Climate Equity Plan, which includes community-wide greenhouse gas reduction goals to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, with about 75% reduction by 2030; and WHEREAS, electrification is a key strategy for reducing and eliminating greenhouse gas emissions in many sectors and Carbon-Free electricity is needed to achieve those goals; and WHEREAS, on June 8, 2023, the Austin City Council adopted a resolution endorsing the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and a plan for “transitioning to a 100 percent clean energy economy, phase out fossil fuel production, and invest in communities on the frontlines of environmental injustice;” and WHEREAS, ground level ozone and particulate matter air pollution in the Austin region already exceed the health-based standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and CAPCOG has identified that increased NOx emissions from electric generating units, including Austin Energy's power plants, as highly correlated with high local ozone measurements; and WHEREAS, the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2030 references an affordability goal and affordability remains important to many customers, but the workshops that Austin Energy hosted as part of this process to update the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan revealed that a large majority of participants are supportive of allowing rate increases beyond the current goal of two percent per year, so long as low-income customers are shielded …
November X, 2024 Federal Highway Administration – Low Carbon Transportation Materials Program Dear Federal Highway Administration, We are pleased to send this Letter of Commitment in support of the City of Austin’s application to the Federal Highway Administration’s Low Carbon Transportation Materials Program (LCTM) to seek reimbursement funds for eligible costs associated with activities required to develop and implement a city-wide Low Carbon Transportation Materials Procurement Program. This application supports Austin City Council Resolution No. 20230420-024, which directs the City Manager to create a plan and implement a schedule to transition the City to sustainable low-embodied carbon concrete. It also supports the Council adopted Austin Climate Equity Plan, which established a net-zero community wide greenhouse gas emission goal by 2040, and a goal of reducing embodied carbon footprint of materials used in local construction by 40% by 2030. The City of Austin’s LCTM grant application is a multi-departmental effort with stakeholders from Transportation and Public Works (TPW), Office of Sustainability (OOS), Capital Delivery Services (CDS), and Financial Services Division (FSD). The city-wide Low Carbon Transportation Materials Procurement Program will include processes for: - Collecting and verifying Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) from Texas concrete, cement, and asphalt suppliers - Developing a central database to store EPDs - Using collected EPDs and working with industry to establish a regional benchmark to determine reasonable greenhouse gas emissions thresholds for material procurement - Setting a timeline for reevaluating regional thresholds and for suppliers to resubmit EPDs - Establishing a central, city-wide transportation materials data collection system for both concrete and asphalt to track mix designs, material quantity use, and the carbon footprint related to construction material use - Establishing training for city-wide transportation materials data collection system for project - coordinators, in-house crews, and inspectors Implement performance-based concrete specifications in which concrete mixes are designed based on intended use/performance instead of prescriptive-based concrete specifications which are over designed in strength, and often involve excessive use of cement - Procuring and implementing the use of low carbon concrete, cement, and asphalt in the annual street and bridge maintenance program and in applicable capital delivery projects. We are committed to the project’s overarching mission, and supportive of all initiatives that further regional collaboration on climate. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely,
Presentation to Joint Sustainability Committee NOVEMBER 20, 2024 Agenda 01 Background & Context 02 Implementation Plan 03 Prioritization Process 04 Next Steps 05 Questions 2 Resolution 20240718-093 Resolution 20240718-093 was approved in July 2024. Staff was directed to bring two items to Council. 1. A comprehensive bond package that funds and addresses climate, infrastructure, and any other public improvements for the purpose of conducting an election no later than November 2026, and 2. A comprehensive climate implementation program of which one component is a climate bond proposition contained in the comprehensive bond package. The comprehensive climate implementation program, shall provide a detailed and thorough means for investing in our climate. Funding for this implementation program shall not be limited to general obligation bonds but should include grants, fees, utilities, general fund, cost sharing, etc. 3 Implementation Status Update 3 7 4 3 ON TRACK NEED SUPPORT OFF TRACK DATA UNAVAILABLE SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS NATURAL SYSTEMS FOOD & PRODUCT CONSUMPTION TRANSPORTATION & LAND USE TRANSPORTATION ELECTRIFICATION Net Zero Carbon for New Buildings and 25% reduction for existing buildings Protect an additional 20,000 acres of land Ensure a more sustainable local Food System 80% of new non-residential development is in activity centers and corridors 40% of VMT is electrified Reduce Refrigerant leakage by 25% Protect 500,000 acres of farmland from development Reduce emissions from institutional purchasing by 50% By 2027, meet strategic housing blueprint goals Sufficient EV charging infrastructure to meet 40% of VMT Reduce embodied carbon of building materials by 40% By 2050, achieve 50% tree canopy cover Pursue waste reduction and meet the ARR diversion goals 50% of trips in Austin are made in a non-single occupancy vehicle Austin area is a leader in EV adoption and the industry Achieve 152,000 acre feet per year of water usage Manage City land to capture carbon 4 Comprehensive Climate Implementation Program 2-year Implementation Plan Programmatic Adjustments ● Public document with climate projects achievable between ‘25 - ‘27 ● Organizational restructure aimed at successful implementation 5 Environmental Investment Plan Joint Sustainability Committee Recommendations Projects Identified from Other Departmental Plans Project Identification Departmental Workshops to Review and Finalize 6 Building a Prioritization Tool ● Consulted with peer cities, colleagues within Urban Sustainability Directors’ Network ● Identified the C40 Action Selection and Prioritisation (ASAP) Tool ● Added criteria from Climate Equity Plan: ○ Equity Tool ○ Overarching strategies ○ Health and Housing Priorities 7 Prioritization Process …
HVAC-R CONTRACTOR STUDY Advancing high-efficiency, climate-smart heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC-R) technologies and practices in support of the Austin Climate Equity Plan. April 2024 Prepared by City of Austin HVAC Contractor Study: Contractor Engagement Plan iii Acknowledgements This report was prepared by Jen Cregar and Marisa Hanson-Lopez for the City of Austin Office of Sustainability. We are grateful to the following individuals and organizations for sharing their time and insights that informed this study. ● Jason Baker, Acme A/C & Heating ● Amanda Mortl, City of Austin Office of ● Alpha Tounkara, American Conservation & Sustainability Air Institute ● Harvey Giblin + faculty, Austin Career ● Greg Arcangeli, Austin Energy ● Aiden Cohen, Austin Energy ● Heidi Kasper, Austin Energy ● Sara Norris, Austin Energy ● Sally Phipps, Austin Energy ● Holly Prosser, Austin Energy ● Joe Teng, Austin Energy ● Tom Turner, Austin Energy Joni Zacharisen, Austin Energy Jordan Garcia, Better Service Co. Inc. Coalition ● Ted Tiffany, Building Decarbonization ● Zach Baumer, City of Austin Office of Sustainability ● ● ● Sarah Talkington, City of Austin Parks & Recreation Department ● Trey Farmer, Forge Craft Architecture + Design ● Katelynn Essig, Foundation Communities ● John Chavez, hvacMENSCH ● Al D’Andrea, McCullough Heating & Air ● Kevin DeMaster, Mitsubishi Electric Trane ● Garrett Smith, Mitsubishi Electric Trane ● Ben Lipscomb, National Comfort Institute ● Dominick Guarino, National Comfort Conditioning HVAC US LLC HVAC US LLC Institute Plumbing ● Paul Wieboldt, Tradewinds Appropriate Technologies ● Shawn Hoover, Vertex Mechanical ● Victoria Kramer, Bluebonnet AC Services, ● Roland Arrisola, Stan’s Heating, Air & City of Austin HVAC-R Contractor Study i Table of Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... ii Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 1 Background & Purpose ................................................................................................................................. 5 Contractor Engagement Approach ............................................................................................................... 6 Findings & Recommendations ...................................................................................................................... 8 Residential Heat Pump Barriers .............................................................................................................. 10 Multifamily Heat Pump Barriers ............................................................................................................. 25 Low-GWP Refrigerant Barriers ................................................................................................................ 31 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 37 Appendix A. Survey Results ....................................................................................................................... A-1 Appendix B. Peer Municipally Owned Utility Heat Pump and Heat Pump Water Heater Incentives ........ B-1 City of Austin HVAC-R Contractor Study ii Tables Table 1. Summary of Recommendations ...................................................................................................... 2 Table 2. Contractor Engagement Approach.................................................................................................. 7 Table 3. Contractor Engagement Representation ........................................................................................ 7 Table 4. Summary of Residential Heat Pump Barriers and Solutions ......................................................... 10 Table 5. Recommended Solutions to HP Upfront Cost Barrier ................................................................... 12 Table 6. Summary of Single-Family Heat Pump and Heat Pump Water …
Joint Sustainability Committee Recommendation 20241120-006 on Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan WHEREAS, on August 8, 2019, the Austin City Council adopted a resolution declaring a climate emergency and calling “for an immediate emergency mobilization to restore a safe climate” and directing the city manager to take a number of steps to accelerate local greenhouse gas emissions reductions, including from Austin Energy; and WHEREAS, in 2020, the Austin City Council adopted the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2030, which states that “Austin Energy will maintain an energy supply portfolio sufficient to offset customer demand while eliminating carbon and other pollutant emissions from its electric generation facilities as rapidly as feasible within the limitations set by the Austin City Council.” and states that “and all generation resources will be carbon-free by 2035;” and WHEREAS, the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2030 also states that “Austin Energy will no longer purchase, contract for or build long-term generation or storage resources that emit new carbon”; and WHEREAS, in 2021, the Austin City Council adopted the Austin Climate Equity Plan, which includes community-wide greenhouse gas reduction goals to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, with about 75% reduction by 2030; and WHEREAS, electrification is a key strategy for reducing and eliminating greenhouse gas emissions in many sectors and Carbon-Free electricity is needed to achieve those goals; and WHEREAS, on June 8, 2023, the Austin City Council adopted a resolution endorsing the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and a plan for “transitioning to a 100 percent clean energy economy, phase out fossil fuel production, and invest in communities on the frontlines of environmental injustice;” and WHEREAS, ground level ozone and particulate matter air pollution in the Austin region already exceed the health-based standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and CAPCOG has identified that increased NOx emissions from electric generating units, including Austin Energy's power plants, as highly correlated with high local ozone measurements; and WHEREAS, the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2030 references an affordability goal and affordability remains important to many customers, but the workshops that Austin Energy hosted as part of this process to update the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan revealed that a large majority of participants are supportive of allowing rate increases beyond the current goal of two percent per year, so long as …
