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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - Climate Action Plan Task Force - 01/13/2022 Climate Action Plan Task Force 180 Market Street South Burlington, VT 05403 (802) 846-4106 www.sbvt.gov Meeting Thursday, January 13, 2022 City Hall, 180 Market Street, Room 301 and Online 7:00 pm This meeting will be held both in person and digitally via Zoom. Participation Options: In person: South Burlington City Hall Room 301, 180 Market Street Assisted Listening Service Available; reach out to staff before meeting begins Interactive Online (audio & video): https://zoom.us/j/9960639517; Meeting ID: 996 063 9517 Telephone (audio only): (929) 205-6099; Meeting ID: 996 063 9517 AGENDA: 1. Instructions on existing building in case of emergency and review of technology options – Paul Conner, Director of Planning & Zoning (7:00 pm) 2. Agenda: Additions, deletions or changes in order of agenda items (7:02 pm) 3. Open to the public for items not related to the agenda (7:04 pm) 4. Election of Chair, Vice Chair, Clerk (7:10 pm) 5. Presentation and Discussion of Draft Vermont State Climate Action Plan, Ann Janda, CCRPC (7:20 pm) 6. Discussion of Target Audience(s) for South Burlington Climate Action Plan, Ann Janda, CCRPC (7:55 pm) 7. Review of proposed Project Schedule and Approach, Melanie Needle, CCRPC (8:10 pm) 8. Update on greenhouse gas emissions work / accounting, Melanie Needle, Ethan Goldman, Sriram Srinivasan (8:30 pm) 9. Minutes: November 29, 2021 (8:35 pm) 10. Other Business (8:36 pm) 11. Adjourn (8:40 pm) Respectfully submitted, Paul Conner, AICP, Paul Conner, AICP Director of Planning & Zoning Chief Sustainability Officer 180 Market Street South Burlington, VT 05403 tel 802.846.4106 fax 802.846.4101 www.sb vt.gov MEMORANDUM TO: South Burlington Climate Action Plan Task Force FROM: Paul Conner, Director of Planning & Zoning & Chief Sustainability Officer SUBJECT: January 13 Task Force Meeting Happy New Year everyone. We’re looking forward to starting this Plan in earnest with you, this month. Enclosed please find the packet for your meeting on Thursday January 13th. See below for some quick notes on by agenda item: Meeting notes by agenda item: 1. Instructions on existing building in case of emergency and review of technology options (7:00 pm) 2. Agenda: Additions, deletions or changes in order of agenda items (7:20 pm) 3. Open to the public for items not related to the agenda (7:22 pm) This item will be on each agenda for the public to introduce / share something that is not otherwise on the agenda; the Task Force can later under Other Business or to discus at a future meeting. 4. Election of Chair, Vice Chair (7:10 pm) The Task Force is invited to elect a chair and a vice-chair. The chair’s role will be to set each meeting’s agenda with staff, serve as the primary point person with staff on keeping the project on track, managing meetings, and serving as the primary representative of the Task Force to groups such as the City Council. The vice-chair serves in the chair’s place if there is an absence; further the vice-chair may serve as part of a leadership team with staff to coordinate agendas, etc. The Task Force may also choose to elect a clerk, but this is optional given the timeline. The clerk is responsible for minutes (which staff will prepare in this instance) and for determining how to proceed if the chair and vice-chair are absent. 5. Presentation and Discussion of Draft Vermont State Climate Action Plan, Ann Janda, CCRPC (7:20 pm) Ann will be providing a presentation on the contents of the State Climate Action Plan. We elected to start with this because per the Council’s resolution, the work of this group is intended to be closely related to, and build off, all of their hard work over the past year. By starting with this presentation, we can then naturally move into the major topics at the next meeting, which will be a discussion about South Burlington- specific conditions (ie, in what ways do we differ from the state as a whole, and therefore need different emphasis on area of work) and, the first draft of the Pathways and Actions to start to work from. Ann’s presentation is included in your packet. Note that it may be adjusted slightly in the coming days. 6. Discussion of Target Audience(s) for South Burlington Climate Action Plan, Ann Janda, CCRPC (7:55 pm) 2 Task Force members noted at the very meeting that it will be important to identify the users of the South Burlington Climate Action Plan up front, and to write it to meet their needs. Staff agrees wholeheartedly. See the attached brief memo from Ann. 7. Review of proposed Project Schedule and Approach, Melanie Needle, CCRPC (8:10 pm) Attached is a proposed schedule for preparing the Climate Action Plan. The completion date is September. We worked hard to identify a schedule that would give sufficient time for equity in community input and Task Force review & decision-making, while setting ourselves up to include the results of this work in the next City Council budget-preparation cycle. At the meeting, Melanie will go over this proposed schedule, including a recommendation that in Feb / March the Task Force consider setting up a few “small work groups” to go through the possible Pathways by subject area and bring back their thoughts / ideas / questions to the full Task Force, so that we can both have a proper review and can leverage everyone’s skillsets in a timely manner. 8. Update on greenhouse gas emissions work / accounting, Melanie Needle, Ethan Goldman, Sriram Srinivasan (8:30 pm) See the attached memo. 9. Minutes: November 29, 2021 (8:35 pm) Attached for your review and action to approve. 10. Other Business (8:36 pm) Your next meeting will be Wednesday, January 26th. After that, based on the schedule, we’d be looking at a regular monthly meeting of the second or third Thursday of the month, with a reserved spot for a second meeting on the 4th Wednesday of the month if applicable. 11. Adjourn (8:40 pm) Overview of Vermont’s Climate Action Plan 26 PATHWAYS 64 STRATEGIES 234 SPECIFIC ACTIONS Global Warming Solutions Act GWSA Enacted: September 23, 2020 1st Climate Council Meeting: November 20, 2020 Climate Action Plan adopted: December 1, 2021 Required updates: every 4 years Emissions Reductions Requirements By 2025: 26% below 2005 levels By 2030: 40% below 1990 levels By 2050: 80% below 1990 levels Climate Action Plan is organized around five areas: emissions reductions resilience and adaptation natural and working lands resilience and adaptation communities and built environment carbon sequestration and storage cross-cutting pathways The Vermont Legislature will likely consider an Environmental Justice Bill this session This slide cut/pasted from the presentation used by VT Secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources, Julie Moore. The Plan has a 2021 Carbon Budget for Vermont AFOLU: Agriculture Forestry Other Land Uses Since 1990, wetland and waterbodies, grasslands and shrublands, and urban and developed lands saw fairly stable annual net flux rates, and emissions from the agricultural sector declined. Further investigation into this declining forest sector sink is warranted and important to developing strategies for complying with the GWSA requirement that Vermont achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Emissions Reductions Pathways and Actions •Regulation -By 2035 all car sales will be zero emissions •Expanded Incentives -EVs and E-bikes •Continued Equity Programs -Replace Your Ride, Mileage Smart, etc. •More EV Charging •Outreach and Education -EVs and VMT Transportation Pathway 1: Light Duty Electrification via Electrify 170,000 light duty vehicles by 2030 Currently there are 4,360 EVs registered in Vermont •Regulation •Incentives •Incentivize Idle Reduction Systems •Electrify Truck Parking Spaces for Auxiliary Power Transportation Pathway 1: Heavy Duty Electrification via Electrify 50,000 medium and heavy- duty vehicles by 2030 Transportation Pathway 3: Reduction in Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) VTrans to create Transportation Implementation Plan: •Smart Growth strategies •Establishing VMT targets •Increase public transit If feasible, affordable, and effective at reducing GHG emissions: •Free public transit •Expand and improve Amtrak/rail •Enhance Complete Streets Transportation Pathway 4: Lower the carbon intensity of fuels Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI) – now on hold. New recommendation by June 2022. Weatherize 90,000 homes by 2030 Workforce development (see next slide) Energy and financial coaching On-bill financing Efficiency standards for rental properties (RPES) Zero Energy Ready building energy code by 2030 Code training and enforcement assistance to municipalities Buildings & Thermal Pathway 1: Weatherization and Energy Code Source: Energy Action Network Progress Report Workforce development Buildings & Thermal Pathway 1: Weatherization and Energy Code Source: Vermont Climate Council December 29, 2021 Recommendations for Deployment of ARPA Funding to Support Climate Action Pl an Implementation Buildings & Thermal Pathway 2: Reduce carbon content of fuels Clean Heat Standard for fossil fueled heat wholesalers Transition to water heaters that can be controlled by electric utilities to help manage their power grids at low cost.** Source: Energy Action Network Progress Report Electricity Key Actions 100% Carbon Free or Renewable Electricity by 2030 200-amp service Utility load control programs Agriculture Reduce the sources of emissions and enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases Reduce tillage and increase vegetative cover Expand Capital Equipment Assistance Program (CEAP) Rotational grazing Integrate woody vegetation in agricultural production Edge-of-field practices that increase herbaceous and woody vegetation Restoration practices that support climate mitigation and resilience Nutrient Management and Amendments (e.g. biochar, compost) Methane capture and energy generation on farms Improved manure management and storage programs Feed management program to reduce enteric methane emissions Non-Energy Emissions Refrigerant management systems and incentives Reduce emissions at Global Foundries Ensure flare systems working at all 10 of WWTFs with anaerobic digester systems. Resilience and Adaptation Noteworthy Actions Resilience and Adaptation Noteworthy Actions Climate planning toolkit Climate and energy planning funding Natural resource position at RPCs Fund adaptation and resilience projects Low impact development –encourage adoption Update 1995 VT State Highway Design Standards to support smart growth Walking, biking and transit –increase infrastructure investment Require collection of fossil fuel usage data for municipal operations All utilities provide similar rebates, incentives Resilience and Adaptation Noteworthy Actions Support electrification of municipal fleet vehicles Weatherization and Efficiency Navigators at RPCs Train local builders in small and mid-sized and accessory dwelling units Convene a statewide conversation on land use and housing Develop program for forest landowners for climate-adaptive management practices. Protect forest health and biodiversity on state and private lands Establish "climate resilience zones" Enhanced planning support to municipalities and regions to maintain forest blocks and connecting habitats Authorize ANR to have statewide jurisdiction and permitting authority for river corridors for all kinds of development. Farmland Conservation & Protection tools -easements, Act 250, planning, zoning. Evaluate Enhanced Energy Plans for ability to site renewable energy, avoid the conversion of working and natural lands, and loss of carbon sequestration Increase Municipal Planning Grant (MPG) funds to support housing growth opportunities and more housing choices. Rolling planning grant for Neighborhood Development Area (NDAs) applications Encourage the Legislature to authorize the creation a multi-stakeholder committee process with funding to support the development of a statewide land use planning policy and implementation plan If a statewide land use planning policy and implementation plan is authorized, explore creation of a State Planning Office and/or other potential structures within the executive branch to implement the Plan at the state level. Resilience and Adaptation Noteworthy Actions Cross-Cutting Pathways Noteworthy Actions Update Act 250 to promote compact settlement by: waiving the mitigation fees for prime agricultural soils for alternative or community wastewater systems that will serve a state designated center. removing the population-based caps on the Act 250 exemption for priority housing projects including criteria that better address climate change, forest fragmentation and forest loss, to incentivize growth in the state’s designated centers and better address the specific challenges to working lands enterprises; updating its governance, staffing, public engagement, and the role of State Agency permits in the Act 250 process to create the enterprise capacity necessary to implement new climate related criteria and respond to future land use pressure from climate change and in-migration of climate refugees. removing Act 250 jurisdictional thresholds for housing development within and immediately adjacent to certain state designated centers to incentivize compact, dense settlement in areas with adequate local land use laws and existing infrastructure Individual Vermonters Can Reduce Emissions by Transportation: Choose electric vehicles Reduce vehicle miles traveled When electric vehicles, transit, or other mentioned options are not feasible, choose more fuel-efficient options: plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), hybrids, or otherwise more fuel-efficient models. Minimize unnecessary air travel. Heating: Home weatherization When possible, switch to: heat pumps, advanced wood heating options, and/or B-100 biodiesel. When possible, use smart thermostats Refrigerants: Dispose of any items containing refrigerant (refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, vehicles, heat pumps, etc.) correctly, as they contain very potent greenhouse gases. Cross-cutting Themes Noteworthy Actions Invest and Expand Climate action planning and implementation Develop and Fund Support for compliance with building energy codes Incentivize or Mandate Solar and wind capacity on new buildings as well as in previously disturbed - developed areas What Happens Now? Activity largely moves back into the Legislature to: Identify high-impact policy priorities that will support durable environmental outcomes Fully appropriate ARPA funds for climate action Understand additional analyses and contractor support needed to fully achieve the requirements of the GWSA, including: Advancing improvements to the emissions inventory and carbon budget Establishing an approach for data collection and management to track progress Creating a municipal climate toolkit, including vulnerability index Continuing and expanded public outreach and engagement Ensure diverse appointments to the Council, and support with just compensation The Council and subcommittee meetings are always open to the public: https://climatechange.vermont.gov/getinv olved/calendar/month The Council also welcomes comments through the portal on the Council’s website: https://climatechange.vermont.gov/getinv olved 1 Date: January 5, 2022 TO: Paul Conner, South Burlington Planning Director and the South Burlington Climate Action Plan Task Force FROM: Ann Janda, Senior Energy Project Manager, CCRPC, Melanie Needle, Senior Planner, CCRPC RE: Audience for South Burlington’s Climate Action Plan The City of South Burlington is preparing its first-ever Climate Action Plan. This plan will lay the foundation for the community to meet the City & State of Vermont's ambitious greenhouse gas reduction and climate targets over the coming years and decades. This memo relates to the audience for this plan. During its meeting on November 29, 2021, the Climate Action Plan Task Force expressed a desire for the plan to be easy to read and understand and not be unreasonably long and technical. Determining the audiences for this document will help guide the writing of the plan so it can meet this goal. In South Burlington, we believe there are four overarching stakeholders in the plan. These are: SOUTH BURLINGTON 1. Residents 2. Businesses/Non-profits 3. Schools 4. Government We suggest starting with this list to determine the audiences that the plan should work to effectively communicate with. We believe it is possible to create cover pages for each audience. 110 West Canal Street, Suite 202 Winooski, Vermont 05404-2109 802-846-4490 www.ccrpcvt.org South Burlington Climate Action Plan Schedule MeetingDateTask Force Agenda ContentTask DescriptionTask # from ScopeMeeting 1   Monday, November 29, 2021 Kick Offscope and schedule  1Meeting 2  Thursday, January 13, 2022State CAP Plan, Proposed Sectors, GHG Emissions Work Plan Update, Audience, Schedulescope and schedule , identified working list of pathways 1,2A,2C,3AMeeting 3 Wednesday, January 26, 2022 Existing Conditions (equity/demographics, transportation, employment, housing); Complete First Draft of Possible Mitigation and Adaptation Pathways and Actions; Draft TOC, Sector Assignments to Committee Members, Discuss equity filterprepare existing conditions presentation, develop survey for open ended public engagement2A,2C,3A,3BMeeting 4a Feb 10, 2022 Pathway and Action Refinement by sector (Transportation/Land Use,  Building Thermal), Preparing for Public Input on pathways + actions Open ended public input by sector begins2A,2C,3A,3B       Meeting 4b March 10, 2022 Pathway and Action Refinement by sector(Govt operations; Adaptation and Resilience, Renewable Energy), Preparing for Public Input on pathways + actions Open ended public input by sector ends2A,2C,3A,3BMeeting 4c March 30, 2022 Finalize List of Pathways and Actions for public input2A,2C,3A Meeting 5 April 14, 2022 Finalize List of Pathways and Actions for public input (if needed), Introduce draft Intro Purpose Scope Audience Equity Section),GHG Emissions Inventory Results and Business As Usual (BAU) scenario Public Input on specific pathways  begins2A,2B,2C,3A,3CMeeting 6 May 12, 2022/May 5, 2022 (Melanie has a conflict with May 12)Introduce Act 174 Standards and draft content (maps, data, and edits to Comp plan),BAU Scenario, Review Public Input on pathways and actions to inform Climate Smart modeling in ClearPathPublic Input on specific pathways ends2A,2B,2C,3A,3CMeeting 7 June 9, 2022 Climate Smart Scenario presented to understand specific expected emission reductions 2A,2B,2C,3A Meeting 8 July14,2022 Climate Smart Scenario Finalization, First Draft of Plan presented to Task Force2A,2B,2C,3A, 3DMeeting 9 August 11,2022 Continue Discussion of Plan Draft 3A,3DMeeting 10 September 8, 2022Final Draft of Plan presented to Task Force and City Council3A, 3E 1 Date: January 6, 2022 TO: Paul Conner, South Burlington Planning Director, and the South Burlington Climate Action Plan Task Force FROM: Ann Janda, Senior Energy Project Manager, CCRPC, Melanie Needle, Senior Planner, CCRPC RE: GHG Emissions Inventory and Modeling Work Plan The City’s Climate Action Plan will include an assessment of existing and future energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This work will be guided by a working group of two members of the CAP task force and CCRPC staff. These members are Ethan Goldman and Sriram Srinivasan. The working group has met once in December and will continue to meet monthly and report back to the full task force as needed. The energy/ghg emission inventory and forecast will provide metrics for measuring the City’s progress in meeting the Vermont Climate Pledge, the State of Vermont’s energy goals and VT’s Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA). As shown in the graph below, the state’s GWSA goals are benchmarked against historic years. As such, CCRPC staff is working to develop an inventory that is back casted for 1990 and 2005 so the City can track progress according to the GWSA reduction requirements. Vermont’s emission profile will be used as a starting point for estimating the City’s emissions for these earlier years. Adjustments will be made to account for South Burlington’s population change and for its lack of an agriculture sector. Emissions for 1990 and 2005 will not be reported by sector, only a total emission profile will be available. This is consistent with the GWSA act requirements as the requirements are based on the totality of emissions. However, Year 2021 ghg emission inventory will be available by sectors, which include transportation, land use, electricity, thermal, wastewater, and waste. 110 West Canal Street, Suite 202 Winooski, Vermont 05404-2109 802-846-4490 www.ccrpcvt.org 2 Source: Energy Action Network Annual Progress Report 2020/2021, page 4: https://www.eanvt.org/wp- content/uploads/2021/05/EAN-APR2020-21_web-1.pdf Once the inventory phase is complete, two future scenarios will be developed 1) business-as- usual (BAU) usual scenario and 2) climate smart scenario. The business-as-usual (BAU) scenario will demonstrate how future energy consumption and emissions will change if the City does not implement actions to mitigate climate change. The climate smart scenario will demonstrate the specific emission reductions the City will realize if the selected climate pathways/actions are fully implemented in future years. As indicted in the project schedule included in the January 13th agenda packet, the CAP Task Force’s April meeting will include the inventory and the BAU scenario. The project schedule plans for the Task Force to discuss the climate smart scenario in June. This will allow enough time for the public to provide input on the pathways and actions and for the Task Force to incorporate that input and agree on twenty actions that will constitute the climate smart scenario. CCRPC Staff has discussed best practice with ICLEI Staff on ClearPath modeling and the recommendation is to measure the ghg emission reduction of only twenty actions. There may be other actions included in the Climate Action Plan, however, the expected reductions may be nominal because of the type of action. For example, education on climate change is not an action with a measurable ghg emission reduction. 3 The expected emission reduction metrics for the pathways and actions are an important component of the second public engagement phase whereby the public is presented with the first draft of pathways and actions in April 2022. While the specific measurements for South Burlington won’t be available, the Vermont Energy Action Network’s Annual Progress Report includes high level modeled emission reductions for 2025 and 2030 (pages 6-7). CCRPC Staff recommends using the high-level emission reductions found in this report to communicate the expected emission reductions the City will likely achieve given the proposed pathways and actions. Source: Energy Action Network Annual Progress Report 2020/2021, page 6: https://www.eanvt.org/wp- content/uploads/2021/05/EAN-APR2020-21_web-1.pdf 4 Source: Energy Action Network Annual Progress Report 2020/2021, page 6: https://www.eanvt.org/wp- content/uploads/2021/05/EAN-APR2020-21_web-1.pdf SOUTH BURLINGTON CLIMATE ACTION TASK FORCE MEETING MINUTES 29 NOVEMBER 2021 1 The South Burlington Climate Action Plan Task Force held a meeting on Monday, 29 November 2021, at 7:00 p.m., in person at 180 Market Street and online via Go to Meeting remote technology. MEMBERS PRESENT: Andrew Chalnick, Bill Wargo, Darrylin Peters, Donna Leban, Ethan Goldman, Michael Mittag, Sriram Srinivasan, Helen Riehle (Council Liaison), Paul Conner (Staff Liaison) ALSO PRESENT: Melanie Needle (CCRPC project consultant), Ann Janda (CCRPC Project Consultant), R. Greco, S. Crowley, Janet Bellavance, Marcy Murray 1. Welcome and introduction of Task Force members and support! (7:02 pm) Mr. Conner welcomed the members of the Task Force and invited each member to introduce themselves and share what they hope to accomplish through this work. Mr. Goldman (Energy Committee) said he would like to ensure that actions & results are connected to objectives so we can track progress. He would also like to prioritize record keeping and lessons learned so we can share with others. Ms. Leban (Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee) said she hoped that we can bring belief that there are things we can do that make a difference as a community, and each person has a role. She would also like to put materials across in a way that people don't react negatively to. Mr. Mittag (Planning Commission) said he believes we can take action, that he is very keen and that the city can take low hanging fruit as there is some. He said he has great hopes that this group can make a difference and put as at the forefront of small communities. Mr. Srinivasan (Economic Development Committee). Vt In a unique position, opportunities and also challenges. There is no shortage of ideas in the world. All of the good ideas have been identified. Challenge will be to find meaningful things we can do right away, that are achievable. Mr. Chalnick (Energy Committee) said that scope of the problem is significant, and that as a community, we can’t go around the edges in order to meet the goals. Ms. Peters (Affordable Housing Committee) said she doesn't bring the technical background, but is very comfortable with data. She has discussed the scope of the work with the Affordable Housing Committee, from which she is the member, and they are interested to me engaged. Mr. Wargo (Natural Resources and Conservation Committee) said he would like to focus on the kinds of things City of South Burlington can do, and to focus on practical things. Ms. Riehle (Council Liaison) said she thinks we have to find a way to have a conversation about Climate Change with everyone, that it needs to be part of our understanding. She’s like for the Task Force to recommend ways we can engage the community, and to have it be a part of the values and hopes and dreams of the community that we can make a difference. The “energy” needs to come from the public. A question was raised asking what can be done to include the School District? Can they have a representative on the Task Force? Task Force members discussed involvement to integrate climate change issues into the education curriculum and consideration of a sector-specific plan on education curriculum to accompany the other topic areas. 2. Agenda: Additions, deletions or changes in order of agenda items (7:20 pm) 2 No changes to the agenda were made. 3. Open to the public for items not related to the agenda (7:22 pm) No comments unrelated to the agenda 4. City Council Climate Resolutions; Charge of the Task Force; Roles, Helen Riehle, City Council Liaison and Paul Conner, Director of Planning & Zoning (7:25 pm) Mr. Conner provided a brief background on the Task Force and directed members to the City Council’s resolutions and charge of the Task Force. Ms. Riehle thanked the Task Force members for their participation and said that she was very excited for this project to get underway. 5. Summary and review of Draft Consultant Scope of Work, Project Deliverables, and public outreach plan; Melanie Needle, Senior Planner, Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (7:40 pm) Ms. Needle and Ms. Janda introduced themselves. They will be providing consultant services to the Task Force and City in developing the Climate Action Plan. Ms. Needle walked the Task Force through the anticipated scope of work and elements of a Climate Action Plan. Mr. Conner highlighted the discussed the selected approach to first develop a Principal Climate Action Plan, followed by sector-specific implementation plans. Ms. Leban asked who the audience for the Plan would be. She advocated for the audience to the public, for the Plan to be written in a digestible manner. Members agreed. Mr. Srinivasan asked how much mitigation and resiliency is a part of this plan. Mr. Conner said that mitigation would be cross-referenced to the All-Hazards Mitigation Plan, also under development presently throughout the County. Mr. Chalnick said he understood the need to take advantage of funding when available, but that he would advocate for building heating / cooling to be at the top of the list, especially for new buildings. He asked whether there has been a legal analysis done of whether municipalities in Vermont have the authority to restrict fossil fuel use in new homes. Mr. Conner invited members of the public to share comments they have: Ms. Greco thanked the Task Force for getting started and for the group to be paying attention to this important topic. She expressed that she would like to see carbon sequestration as part of this work. Mr. Crowley said he would like to be engaged in this effort. Education for empowerment on an issue such as this is very important. As long as it’s a top-down type of problem, it won’t be solved in a meaningful way. 6. Other Business (8:30 pm) Mr. Conner asked when Task Force members would like to meet. Members felt meetings should be in the evening to allow for community participation. Mr. Conner said he would poll members regarding specific dates for regular monthly meetings. Mr. Conner noted that at the next meeting, the Task Force would be invited to elect a chair, vice chair, a clerk. The meeting was adjourned at 8:43 pm.