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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024/01/03 - ADMIN - Minutes - Environment & Sustainability Commission - Regular Official minutes Environment & sustainability commission St. Louis Park, Minnesota 1/3/2024 1. Call to order – 6:30 p.m. 1a. Roll call Members present: Chair Shaina Ashare, Vice Chair Tatiana Giraldo, Marisa Bayer, Ryan Griffin, Andrew Willette, Dave Wilsey, Paul Zeigle, Eric Zweber Members absent: Ramil Goonetilleke, Abigail Oppegaard, Sasha Shahidi Staff present: Emily Ziring, sustainability manager; Kala Fisher, deputy public works director; Annie Pottorff, sustainability specialist Guests: Council Member Sue Budd; Ian Thomas, resident 3. Approval of minutes – Oct. 4, 2023 – The minutes were approved unanimously as presented with two abstentions. 4. Business 4a. Discussion of draft city staff comments to Hennepin County Board on Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) closure plan with Kala Fisher, deputy public works director Ms. Fisher updated the commission on the county board’s request for a HERC closure plan and the city’s draft comments regarding a closure plan. Commissioner Wilsey asked about the 90/60 diversion, and if the recycling rate is synonymous with the diversion rate. Ms. Fisher stated the state goal is a 75% recycling rate by 2030. Ms. Ziring clarified that they are trying to reach 75% but even 60% is a stretch. Chair Ashare asked what happens after the city submits comments. Ms. Fisher stated many comments are similar to other suburban cities’ comments, and the city hopes to be at the table and have a voice in any future plans that county would make. Commissioner Zweber asked if the city is asking HERC to stay open until all conditions are met. Ms. Fisher stated yes. Commissioner Zweber asked if the city is then in support of HERC remaining open beyond 2040. Ms. Fisher stated yes, and added this is because it is believed that to meet the 85% diversion rate, anything earlier than 2040 would likely be premature and result in impacts noted in the report. Commissioner Zweber stated he would be uncomfortable asking HERC to stay open past 2040. Commissioner Wilsey asked if there is data behind the need to close the HERC. Ms. Fisher stated there are concerns over the human impacts of HERC emissions, however, Environmental & Sustainability Commission Jan. 3, 2024 the HERC has consistently operated below state and federal air quality standards, and added she has not seen any additional data on HERC or neighborhood emissions. Ms. Ziring noted that HERC is one additional source of local pollution on top of many others, and this is one that the county can relieve and control. Ms. Fisher stated the county will not be moving forward with an anaerobic digester and that county staff noted a major factor is the rise in ongoing operational costs after a digester would be built. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community organics processing facility will be tripled in capacity. Commissioner Zweber asked if the county is looking at opening another facility and/or landfill. Ms. Fisher stated no, however, they are looking at a pre-processing facility to replace one of the current transfer stations (a pre-processing plant pulls recyclables prior to sending materials to landfill). Ms. Ziring asked if the ESC is comfortable with the staff recommendations that the HERC should continue to operate past 2040 if it has not met the zero waste goals. Ms. Fisher added the contingencies are important to keep in place to drive program development and resource allocation. She added a 2040-2050 timeline is more desirable in order to implement changes needed, particularly at the legislative level. Commissioner Griffin added he read an article stating that shutting down the HERC will not result in improvable health outcomes for residents in Minneapolis or its suburbs, and they do acknowledge air pollution is mainly from vehicles. He added maybe a more holistic air quality study is necessary instead of singling out this one source, especially if there are only minor impacts. He stated vehicle emissions are probably the cause of most air quality health-related issues in the adjacent neighborhoods. Ms. Ziring added Minnesota does not have vehicle emissions testing like other states do, and asked about looking at diesel trucks entering downtown to see if their tailpipe emissions controls could be brought to current standards. Commissioner Bayer added there are a number of garbage trucks traveling to the HERC each day and emissions reductions should look at further reducing that number. Commissioner Zeigle asked what was meant by less transparency and less government control. Ms. Fisher stated this is a reference to when the HERC closes, all the material would go to privately owned landfills and there would be less transparency in disposal rates and the reasons for any future rate increase. Council Member Budd asked if there are projections for when recycling would reach 75%. Ms. Fisher stated she does not have that data but noted over the last 15-20 years the city has plateaued in its recycling rates. She noted doubling the 32% recycling rate in St. Louis Park would require a massive effort to reach 60%. Environmental & Sustainability Commission Jan. 3, 2024 Commissioner Wilsey asked if there are cities that mandate recycling and organics collections. Ms. Fisher stated yes, which can help raise recycling participation rates, but noted when mandates, there are unintended consequences that can also arise. Commissioner Zeigle asked about construction and demolition diversion percentages and if there are facilities currently set up for this. Ms. Fisher stated she did not know those percentages, and added this type of waste is managed separately and goes to C&D landfills. Not all C&D landfills sort incoming material for diversion (cardboard, concrete, wood). Commissioner Wiley stated he is surprised that closing the HERC is the only thing that can be done and that partner agencies are not looking at other data related to vehicles and other ways to address this issue. Ms. Fisher stated city staff and the council is interested in more data on this but noted that HERC is not without its problems. She added cities will need to request more changes at the state level, but these things do not happen overnight either. Chair Ashare stated the importance of science-based climate goals, noting this does not seem to be addressed with the current available data on HERC. Commissioner Willette added this problem seems to be being pushed down the road and if there was something that could be done to make air quality improvements before 2040 that mitigates the issues, that might be helpful. Ms. Fisher stated there are scrubbers on the facility already helping the HERC to operate well below the required emissions levels, and as the closure plan is created there is an opportunity to provide comment that the county does not disinvest in the needed pollution control technology for the facility. Commissioner Giraldo added it is not a realistic solution to close the HERC without a plan in place. Commissioner Griffin added we are trying to solve a systemic problem with individual behaviors, and many are not climate friendly solutions either. He stated the only just response is to have each community manage their own waste within their own borders. Commissioner Willette added that is difficult though because no one can control how items are packaged, and so much packaging is nonrecyclable. Commissioner Zeigle noted a comment from a resident on their disappointment of not having the half-size cart for garbage. Ms. Fisher stated staff has heard that and that several years ago it was determined the 20-gallon carts were not going to be operationally sustainable, and that is why the every-other-week 30-gallon carts are an option for residents now. 5. Staff updates Ms. Ziring updated the commission on the following items: Environmental & Sustainability Commission Jan. 3, 2024 • Working on 2024 program adjustments, more targeted use of goals for climate champions program • Working on a report for city council on banning gas leaf blowers, including research and survey results and the recommendation that the ESC developed • Survey sent to all 2023 climate champion for homes, getting feedback on program • Will be doing in-person outreach to multifamily properties, NOAH to engage on city programs • Working on rooftop solar for Fire Station #1 • Working on publishing the city’s environmental dashboard • Working on revising the city’s environmentally preferred purchasing policy to be more aligned with climate action goals 6. Work plan update 6a. Expand our outreach – • Events work group update – no updates 6b. Share our voice – • State policy update – nothing until legislature is back in session mid- February 6c. Measure our progress – Staff and volunteer reports • Ms. Ziring noted the January – December 2023 statistics related to sustainability programs 7. Environmental justice and current events open discussion - none City legislative priorities: Ms. Ziring noted there will be a city council meeting on January 22 where priorities will be discussed with state representatives, including priorities addressing solid waste. 8. Upcoming/proposed events • Plan for February ESC meeting – no updates as yet depending on the city council’s next review on Boards and Commissions. Commissioner Griffin asked if there is still time to present a document to the council on recommendations related to board and commission’s structure. Commissioner Griffin moved, seconded by Commissioner Zweber, to establish a workgroup to draft a letter to council related to boards and commissions. The motion passed unanimously. Commissioners Griffin and Zweber stated they will work on this. Commissioner Bayer added that Commissioner Shahidi may also be interested in participating in the drafting of this letter. Ms. Ziring noted the ESC will need to vote on the draft at the February meeting. Environmental & Sustainability Commission Jan. 3, 2024 Commissioner Willette asked if the draft could be shared prior to the meeting. Ms. Ziring stated the draft can be attached to the agenda and distributed two weeks prior to the meeting. 9. Adjournment – 8:10 p.m. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Emily Ziring, liaison Shaina Ashare, chair member