POWER PLANT TASK FORCE
MINUTES OF MEETING
Thursday, December 23, 2010 at 4:00 p.m.
City Hall, Room 408
1 Dr. Carlton Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA
1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
Chair Philip DeAndrade called the meeting to order.
Present:
Philip DeAndrade
Richard Millet
Joe Boss
Karen Pierce
Absent:
Malik Looper
Steven Moss
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The minutes of the November 29, 2010 meeting were approved.
Chair, Philip De Andrade commented that he and Joe Boss attended the Mayors press conference on the closure of Mirant.
3. ELECTRICITY RESOURCE PLAN
Chair Phillip DeAndrade comments, the Power Plant Task Force has been working with SFPUC, they have had a committee of our membership working with them on their Green Task Force and have in many ways a great deal of input into the Electricity Resource Plan. The Mayor suggested we have a new date, 2030 was our date for fossil fuel independence, and the Mayor thought we could do it by 2020. The Frank Foundation made a grant to the City and County of San Francisco to develop a plan or a series of steps that needed to be taken in order to achieve this independence at 2020.It occurred to him that these two plans might not be precisely working together and that as a City we might want to have one plan that we were all working from so that the likely hood of achievement might be good. You have contacted the Department of Electricity through your chair and the Department of the Environment and have scheduled a meeting on January 13, 2011.
Joe Boss Commented, Another resource plan to be completed within a year by the Department of the Environment on a grant of $250,000. He agrees that they are duplicating things and could probably find other programs that duplicate what we are trying to accomplish. He talked to the person who attending this meeting from the SFPUC.
Manuel Ramirez from SFPUC, commented that he has had a couple of discussions with the San Francisco Environment staff on the scope of the work that they are proposing to engage in. He noted that the SFPUC was not included in the discussion leading up to the grant request from the Sydney Frank Foundation. He has retained from SFE the grant proposal which lays out the tasks and the delineation of how they intend to spend the money. Manuel will forward the Fossil Fuel Independence by 2020 report to everyone.
Richard Millet asked if there were duplications on the work we’ve done already that could backfill on what they’re attempting to do?
Manuel commented on what he understood from the Grant Proposal, he thought there could be some potential for overlap. He recommended having ongoing discussions with SFPUC to avoid duplicated efforts and/or conflicting end results.
Question: Do you think this Task Force should make a request to the Board of Supervisors stressing the need for cooperation and coordination between the DOE and SFPUC in regards to Energy Resource and the Green requirements?
Manuel thought that it is within your discretion, and it would make some sense. SFPUC Electricity Resource Plan is almost finalized. It includes going forward with action items which they intend to pursue and keep within their time lines. Coordination would be important to avoid conflicts.
Comment to Chair by Karen Pierce: In the Development of the Electricity Resource Plan, they provided a lot of opportunity for participation and community input. The final product would reflect that. She made a suggestion that the Power Plant Task Force make a request to SFE work with PUC to ensure there’s no duplication or conflicting recommendations, that they also develop a community participation process that includes meaningful input from community representatives.
Philip DeAndrade thought we should have the meeting first to find out what they intend to do before we tell them what to do, or receive guidance from the Board of Supervisors.
Comment: Let’s send a note to the Board of Supervisors, DOE, and SFPUC saying the Task Force is aware of a Grant that does similar tasks that we have accomplished, and we would ask that the departments work with one another and the community.
Philip DeAndrade said he assumes they’re going to, and the only reason I would write a letter if I don’t think it’s going to go that way. You can make a motion, we can discuss the motion, and we can vote on it.
Karen Pierce moved that we contact the DOE and request that a meaningful process for community involvement and input be included in the work on the Fossil Fuel Free S.F. by 2020.
The motion was moved and seconded.
Philip DeAndrade said who do we send it to, the BOS or DOE. Philip voted against it because he thought it was too premature.
Comment: Recommended that we Amend it to send it to the BOS and DOE and Barbara Hale at SFPUC.
Karen Pierce: Clarification: Will we still be active after the beginning of the year.
Philip Deandrade said they have been re-upped. He had a conversation from Melonie Nutter and she was open to suggestions. She wants to participate, I know there is an interest in moving this process along. We’ve been working on Energy Resource all along, it’s up for enactment
Comment: There are 4 new Supervisors. If we send the letter to them, it will put this on their map. It’s a way of saying the Task Force exists and does work on behalf of the City.
Move the question: Those in favor of the letter. Those opposed. The vote is 3-1 with DeAndrade opposed.
Philip DeAndrade asked if Joe Boss would write the letter for DeAndrade’s signature, he agreed, and Karen Pierce will assist in editing it.
Is there any public comment? No public comment
Motion to Rescind: Aye
As Amended: Aye
Motion is unanimous
4. DISTRIBUTION OF MIRANT MITIGATION FEES
Chair read the Settlement from the City Attorney’s office. He noted that Mr. Boss has done some work on this matter.
Joe Boss: Said there’s a bit of confusion if you read DCA Mueller’s e-mail to the Task Force. She quoted part of the mitigation from the CT project. It dictated the kinds of things the money would be spent on. In the original CT hearing it said after public hearing with the Land Use and Asthma Task Force, the BOS would consider one or more mitigation measures. The final signed by the BOS is similar, but it says the Asthma and the PPTF. The PPTF is to be consulted on this. He tried to communicate with the Asthma Task Force, and maybe Karen communicated with them, but they haven’t met since June. There are two elements of the settlement. Half of the money is to be spent for community improvements with mobility and recreation activities. The other half is to be spent for asthma and breathing situations. In my experience, if you give money to a department, you’re lucky to get 40% of actual deliverable. I have not answer on the Asthma side. On the capital side of doing neighborhood improvements in Potrero Hill, Central Waterfront and Annison Terrace. He spoke with DPW and they have 4 or 5 funds that go through the Parks Trust (money assigned by the BOS). Come up with a program, hold community meetings, see what the people want to do with the money, write up the request and put it through the Parks Trust to be executed by DPW. There are 4 projects: tree planting, sidewalk improvements, etc., and there is no overhead charge. I have seen Mr. Nuru do a lot of community projects with very little money. My recommendation would be to go down that path. I’m not sure what to do on the Ashtma side. Potroro Hill did receive 10% of the CEC settlement from the power COOP. The rest of the money went to the Bayview. It would be fair that 10% of the money go to the Bayview Community so we’re moving forward in the same direction.
Karen Pierce: We should contact someone at the Asthma Task Force. One example of what they used some grant money to purchase special cameras that can penetrate walls to see mold and mildew. Then they trained a number of community members to work with health inspectors to identify mold problems in public housing. I would expect that they would use additional funding for something similar to this. It would be good for us to sit down with them.
Joe Boss: In discussions with Supervisor Maxwell, she wants to have some it the money go to tenants of the housing that have asthma. Give them some money, and give them training. Once you reach a certain age there’s no health maintenance follow-thru after age 14.
5. FUTURE OF POWER PLANT TASK FORCE
Chair wants to continue this item until the next meeting.
6. PUBLIC COMMENT
Shreven Metha, w/Environment Justice Program, DOE
Putting forward a proposal for Env. Justice to administer the funds. They have experience with Grant Management in the SE sector. They are members of the Asthma Task Force and are familiar with the programs. Karen Cohen had some ideas on mitigation measures.
May Ling, Urban Forestry, said the program planted 1500 trees. The figures Air Quality Mitigation Plant listed costs of planting trees that were unrealistic. If we focus on tree planting, we need to involve more partners. This was an old document from 2005. We would like to revisit what could be done with this funding.
Shreven Metha, said she thinks Mr. Boss mentioned the idea of supporting public housing tenants who have asthma. We recently received a ½ M. grant from Centers for Disease Control to work with Bayview residents in public housing who have asthma.
Ozuri: Resident in Potrero Hill Terrace and I also work there. We have started the Foundry Resource Garden. We are looking at a Texas Street garden. We are also doing a Barrel Garden. There’s a contract to upkeep the garden or plant a tree. They have a Healthy Living Program, which addresses asthma issues. There are multiple programs. This money needs to stay in Potrero Hill.
Joe Boss: $1M. is not a whole lot of money, but it could do a lot of good if it’s directed in the right way. If we can work with community partners, with assistance from DOE, DPH, & SFPUC that’s the direction I would recommend we pursue.
Karen Pierce: Next Action: Would be to meet with representatives of the Asthma Task Force. Then we could come up with joint recommendation for use of the funding.
Philip DeAndrade said he was intrigued with the programs that are going on in the communities already. The BOS can set up the process for the proposals submitted by the various groups. Task Force should underscore the affected communities and the underlying purpose.
7. ADJOURNMENT
Motion to Adjourn
Motion was seconded
Meeting was adjourned at 4:50 p.m.
The next meeting will be the 4th Thursday of January.
Attachment: As Noted.
