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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCFE meeting summary 12122022 Orange County Commission for the Environment Meeting Summary December 12, 2022; 7:00 pm Hybrid Meeting Present: Veronica Penn Beattie, Kristie Mather(via Zoom), Ian Morse, Kim Piracci, Kim Livingston(via Zoom), Bill Ward, Geneva Gray(via Zoom), Mark Randall, Regina Baratta, Reade Oakley Absent: Jessie Birckhead(excused), Jane Harris (excused), Jaya Nair(excused), David N. Mcnelis (excused) Staff: Wesley Poole, Chris Himi, Amy Eckberg, Kalani Allen, David Stancil I. Call to Order Veronica Penn Beattie called the meeting to order at 7:02 pm. II. Additions or Changes to Agenda None. III. Approval of DRAFT Meeting Summary—November 14t", 2022 Motion to approve by Ian Morse; seconded by Regina Baratta; all in favor; none opposed; motion passed. IV. Orange County Aquifer and Rural Planning—Presentation Dave Stancil gave a short introduction and former Soil and Water Board Member, Heather Main,presented information regarding rural residential development,planning and its effect on the groundwater in Orange County. She expressed her concern over whether or not the rural aquifer could withstand the current level of development in the County. She shared a recent study conducted in Wake County and asked if it was time to update the study that was conducted in Orange County approximately 20 years ago. She felt as though each development should be required to conduct a water impact study. Dave Stancil followed up with an informative history of the water resources work conducted here in Orange County since he was the primary County staff involved with that work for many years. He agreed that there was new science available now that was not available 20 years ago, so it may warrant being looked at. Wesley Poole added what Orange County is currently doing with the Observation Well Network. V. Climate Action Tax Grant(Time to Complete) Rescoring—Action Item Amy Eckberg made an error on the scoring points for the Community Climate Action Grants in the"Time to Complete" section so she explained the situation to the CFE and Page 1 of 4 Orange County Commission for the Environment Meeting Summary December 12, 2022; 7:00 pm Hybrid Meeting asked members to re-score that portion during the meeting. Discussion ensued and re- scoring was completed. VI. CFE Annual Report and Work Plan Chris Hirni presented the template for this year's BOCC Report and Work Plan. Most everything is boiler plate that Chris Hirni will enter except for the last two questions referring to 2023 BOCC goals and priorities and concerns/emerging issues for the upcoming year that will need CFE input. CFE members and staff worked together to enter the information into the Report. The Report is due in January so it will need to be completed by the next meeting so that it can be voted on. VII. Sub-Committee Breakouts The CFE 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). Sub-Committee Breakout Meetinz Summaries Air&Energy Resources Subcommittee: Present: Bill Ward, Geneva Gray (via Zoom), Kristie Mather (via Zoom), Ian Morse, Reade Oakley, Veronica Penn Beattie Absent: David Mcnelis (excused) Staff: Amy Eckberg • Recap on the issue discussed via email regarding emissions inventory year: 2019 vs 2021. Ultimately decided to go with 2019 to avoid possible discontinuities in the data from the global pandemic. • Revisiting the Energy Efficiency Kits - o Veronica makes a point that we must be mindful of the length of time for folks to see improvement in energy bill o Bill asks if businesses will be able to have use of the kits as well o Kristie advocated for a firm understanding of what a scope, aim, and target population would be. o What would go in these kits:LED light bulbs, seek thermal cell phone infrared camera attachments (to find gaps in home), smart power strips, educational literature, maps of EV charging spots. Page 2 of 4 Orange County Commission for the Environment Meeting Summary December 12, 2022; 7:00 pm Hybrid Meeting o There was mention that Duke Energy may already do something like that. Reade and Kristie confirmed. o We circled back on the logistics and the whether or not these should be returnable items or not. o Ultimately, we decided to table the discussion for the moment and discuss it over email. • Quickly recapped the project on an agrovoltaic pilot project at Breeze Farms. o Amy wants to contact folks at the NC Clean Technology Center. Has already gotten in contact with John Bonitz, would like to meet with the director, Steve Kalland. o Geneva volunteered to reach out through her NCSU network. Water Resources Subcommittee: Present: Kim Piracci, Mark Randall Absent: Jaya Nair (excused) Staff.- Wesley Poole • The group discussed Heather Main's presentation which was informative. We will continue to consider her concerns throughout the year. • The group talked about water quality issues, beyond basic nutrient testing, to include emerging pollutants such as PFAS and PFOAs. • Kim stated that she believes the EPA is already doing this testing locally and nationally and she will get that information. Land Resources Subcommittee: Present: Kim Livingston (via Zoom), Regina Baratta Absent: Jane Harris, Jessie Birckhead Staff Chris Hirni • The committee assessed edits needed for the final draft of the Forest Management Policy, and assigned sections for staff and members to provide edits. The expectation is to finalize edits in February meeting to bring back for CFE review in March. VIII. Updates and Information Items Page 3 of 4 Orange County Commission for the Environment Meeting Summary December 12, 2022; 7:00 pm Hybrid Meeting • Kalani Allen presented Bill Ward's Service Resolution for his serving 2 full terms with the CFE. • Amy Eckberg gave the CFE a status update on the Climate Action Plan. The company is moving forward with collecting data and a team has been established which will be meeting monthly. • Amy Eckberg gave the CFE an update on the Solarize the Triangle campaign. It is doing well and so far 1200 people have signed up. The deadline to enroll is December 31. • Veronica Penn Beattie asked the CFE to attempt to recruit some new CFE applicants over the holidays so that we can review at the January meeting. IX. Adjournment Regina Baratta motioned to adjourn the meeting at 9:04 pm; seconded by Kim Piracci; all in favor; none opposed; motion passed. Page 4 of 4