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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCFE meeting summary 11142022Orange County Commission for the Environment Meeting Summary November 14, 2022; 7:00 pm Hybrid Meeting Page 1 of 4 Present: Veronica Penn Beattie, Jessie Birckhead, Kristie Mather (via Zoom), Ian Morse, Kim Piracci, Kim Livingston, Bill Ward, Jane Harris (via Zoom), Geneva Gray, Mark Randall, David N. Mcnelis, Regina Baratta Absent: Reade Oakley (excused), Jaya Nair (excused) Staff: Wesley Poole, Chris Hirni, Amy Eckberg, Kalani Allen I. Call to Order Kim Piracci called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. II. Additions or Changes to Agenda None. III. Approval of DRAFT Meeting Summary – October 10th, 2022 Veronica Penn Beattie asked if the percentage allocations for the Community Climate Action Grant needed to be clarified in the October 10th, 2022 DRAFT Meeting Summary and Amy Eckberg stated that it was not necessary because it was available in the BOCC recommendation. Motion to approve by Bill Ward; seconded by Mark Randall; all in favor; none opposed; motion passed. IV. Chair / Vice Chair Nominations and Elections – Action Item The CFE was asked to nominate and vote for the new Chair and Vice Chair that will take office at the December 2022 meeting. Bill Ward nominated Veronica Penn Beattie for Chair and she accepted the nomination; seconded by Geneva Gray; all in favor; none opposed; nomination passed. Veronica Penn Beattie nominated Jesse Birckhead for Vice Chair and she accepted the nomination; seconded by Ian Morse; all in favor; none opposed; nomination passed. V. Right of Way Task Force – Update and Action Item Chris Hirni provided information to the CFE regarding the previously approved CFE resolution from January 2020 to form an inter-County “Right of Way Task Force.” COVID disrupted the original formation and the BOCC has asked the CFE to prioritize it. Kim Piracci gave some history regarding the topic and stated that power companies basically said it was cheaper to spray. The CFE was asked to nominate new member representatives for the Task Force. They would be expected to amend the “Orange Orange County Commission for the Environment Meeting Summary November 14, 2022; 7:00 pm Hybrid Meeting Page 2 of 4 County Rights of Way Task Force Membership, Tenure and Charge” document and reach out to Johnny Randall to re-engage. Jessie Birckhead and Regina Baratta volunteered and all CFE members agreed by unanimous vote. VI. CFE New Member Recommendations Process The CFE discussed the method of review and input for new CFE applicants in relation to member vacancies, timeliness, Policy and Procedure, and BOCC memorandums. CFE members discussed various ideas but did not come to an agreement on an exact process. The group decided to table this until the December meeting. VII. Climate Action “Education” Tax Grant Veronica Penn Beattie began the discussion in regards to the portion of the Climate Action Tax Grant funds that are dedicated to schools. Veronica Penn Beattie stated that in order to create equality for schools then a resolution may be needed. Bill Ward expressed concern and asked if the Climate Action Plan would address the County not being on target to meet its’ goal to become fossil free. Veronica Penn Beattie wanted to follow up on the recommended percentage allocation to the schools and explain to the BOCC why the CFE didn’t have 100% agreement. Recommendation is to be presented to the BOCC on December 5, 2022, so probably too late this year for a clarification. Veronica Penn Beattie, Geneva Gray, Bill Ward and Kristi Mather volunteered to start working on a DRAFT resolution through Google Doc that could be applied to next year’s application process. VIII. Sub-Committee Breakouts The CFE discussed subcommittee topics and current composition. Each CFE member was allowed to choose which subcommittee they would like to be on moving forward. The CFE then broke out into committee assignments and discussed goals / projects for the year. Afterwards, subcommittees came back together and reported information discussed to the overall CFE (see below). Each subcommittee was asked to designate a chair that would be responsible for taking minutes and reporting back to the overall CFE. Geneva Gray will be the Chair of the Air & Energy Resources Subcommittee, Kim Piracci will be the Chair of the Water Resources Subcommittee and Kim Livingston will be the Chair of the Land Resources Subcommittee. Orange County Commission for the Environment Meeting Summary November 14, 2022; 7:00 pm Hybrid Meeting Page 3 of 4 Sub-Committee Breakout Meeting Summaries Air & Energy Resources Subcommittee: Present: Bill Ward, David Mcnelis, Geneva Gray, Ian Morse, Veronica Penn Beattie Absent: Kristie Mather (Zoom issue) and Reade Oakley (excused) Staff: Amy Eckberg • Selected Geneva Gray to serve as Chair of the Air & Energy Resources Subcommittee. • Asked Amy Eckberg to give a briefing on what current projects the subcommittee was working on: o A project working with Breeze Farms (an agritech incubator in Orange Co.) on an Agrovoltaic pilot program. Veronica and David can use their contacts at UNC, Geneva can use hers at NCSU. o An Energy Efficiency kit for checkout at local libraries or schools filled with LED light bulbs, efficient power strips, etc. • David brought up his experience in green energy educational outreach and the subcommittee discussed the idea of an Energy Efficiency Ambassador to speak at schools or community events about clean and efficient energy practices. • Future work surrounding the Climate Action Plan (CAP) will likely consume a lot of the capacity of the subcommittee. The group may not pursue new initiatives while the CAP is in progress. Water Resources Subcommittee: Present: Kim Piracci, Mark Randall Absent: Jaya Nair (excused) Staff: Wesley Poole • Selected Kim Piracci to serve to serve as Chair of the Water Resources Subcommittee. • Wesley Poole gave a short introduction to the group regarding what had been previously discussed within the subcommittee. • Mark Randall discussed his knowledge in the water resources field and Kim Piracci expressed her concerns regarding water quality in Orange County. Land Resources Subcommittee: Present: Jessie Birckhead, Kim Livingston, Regina Baratta Orange County Commission for the Environment Meeting Summary November 14, 2022; 7:00 pm Hybrid Meeting Page 4 of 4 Absent: Jane Harris (Zoom issue) Staff: Chris Hirni • Selected Kim Livingston to serve as Chair of the Land Resources Subcommittee. • Hirni got everyone up to speed on the draft County-wide Tree Policy. Hirni will share the document with new members. • The Committee plans to bring a draft of the Tree Policy to the CFE at the February meeting. IX. Updates and Information Items • Amy Eckberg gave an update to the CFE on the status of the Climate Action Plan. They will be meeting with the consultant this week. She also mentioned Solid Waste’s Zero Waste Plan and will distribute the link to the CFE. She also mentioned Reuter’s recent article regarding university energy use. • Kalani Allen announced 2022 youth and adult winners of the Nature of Orange Photo Contest and mentioned that there was a new contest starting for 2023. Entries will be due by April 30, 2023. • Chris Hirni notified the CFE that it was time to begin working on the Annual Report and Work Plan. It will be due by January so the CFE will need to be working on it the next two meetings. X. Adjournment Bill Ward motioned to adjourn the meeting at 9:02 pm; seconded by Kim Livingston; all in favor; none opposed; motion passed.