[00:00:04]
[CALL TO ORDER]
SO LET'S GET STARTED ON THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.IT IS MARCH 5TH, 2025, AND IT'S, UM, UH, I JUST SAID IT IS 6 0 8
AND WE'RE AT THE PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER EVENT CENTER ROOM 1 4 0 5, LOCATED AT 6 3 1 0 WILHELMINA DELCO DRIVE, AUSTIN, TEXAS 7 8 7 5 2.
AND I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
TO THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM LAST MEETING.HAVE ALL THE COMMISSIONERS HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THAT? I MOVE APPROVAL.
MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.
WELL, UM, MOTION BY SULLIVAN SECOND.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR RAISE YOUR HANDS.
AND IT IS UNANIMOUS BY EVERYONE ON THE DIETS.
[2. Recognition of Colin Nickells for his service on the Environmental Commission – Liz Johnston, Interim Environmental Officer, Watershed Protection Department]
AND WE HAVE OUR, UH, FIRST DISCUSSION ITEM, RECOGNITION OF COLIN NICHOLS FOR HIS SERVICE ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.FEEL FREE, PLEASE GO UP TO THE PODIUM.
UM, COMMISSIONER NICHOLS STARTED SERVING ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION IN 2022.
HE SERVED AS A MEMBER OF THE URBAN FORESTRY COMMITTEE AND HAS BEEN A CONSISTENT ADVOCATE FOR HOUSING ISSUES.
WE APPRECIATE ALL THE TIME HE'S DEVOTED TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING.
THANK YOU, LIZ, FOR THE KIND WORDS.
I'D JUST LIKE TO THANK ALL MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS AS WELL.
IT'S BEEN AN HONOR AND A PLEASURE SERVING WITH YOU ALL.
AND I'D ALSO REALLY, REALLY LIKE TO THANK STAFF FOR ALL OF THE WORK THEY PUT INTO ORGANIZING THESE MEETINGS AND KEEPING THE CIRCUS SORT OF IN CHECK.
AND, UH, I'LL, I'LL MISS THIS FOR SURE.
I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE AND FOR ALWAYS BEING, UH, BRINGING YOUR THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS AND IDEAS TO THE COMMISSION.
IS THERE ANY MORE COMMENTS? IF NOT, I'LL GO AHEAD AND PROCEED.
[4. Presentation and discussion on Austin Energy Green Building – Heidi Kasper, Energy Efficiency Services Director, Austin Energy]
A PRESENTATION DISCUSSION ON AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING.HI, GOOD EVENING, COMMISSIONERS.
I AM THE DIRECTOR FOR GREEN BUILDING AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES OVER AT AUSTIN ENERGY.
AND I WAS TOLD THAT Y'ALL WOULD LIKE TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT WE DO AT AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING.
SO GONNA GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW TONIGHT.
UM, THE PROGRAM HAS A VERY, VERY LONG HISTORY.
SO IT WAS STARTED BACK IN 1991 AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN DEVELOPED THE NATION'S VERY FIRST GREEN BUILDING SYSTEM.
UM, IT WAS THE FIRST SUSTAINABILITY GRADING SYSTEM IN THE COUNTRY.
AND EVER SINCE THAT TIME, WE HAVE BEEN REGULARLY UPDATING IT, UM, TO MAINTAIN AN AUSTIN SPECIFIC, UH, RATING TOOL.
AND THE, THIS UNIQUE PROGRAM INCORPORATES PROVEN GREEN BUILDING STRATEGIES THAT BUILD ON TOP OF AUSTIN'S CODE STANDARDS AND OUR LOCAL BUILDING REGULATIONS HERE.
UM, OUR WORK CAN BROADLY BE CATEGORIZED INTO THREE DIFFERENT BUCKETS.
UM, RATINGS, EDUCATION AND OUTREACH AND POLICIES AND CODES.
SO RATINGS ARE THE PRIMARY TOOL WHERE WE'RE WORKING DIRECTLY WITH ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS, UM, CONTRACTORS ON BUILDINGS.
UM, AND THEY, THEY'RE INTENDED, UH, TO GUIDE AND ENCOURAGE PROJECT TEAMS TO INCORPORATE BEST PRACTICES IN SUSTAINABLE DESIGN.
THAT ALSO THEN FURTHER THE CITY'S GOALS.
AND WE USE A CONSULTATIVE APPROACH IN THAT WORK.
UM, WE ALSO OFFER A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL OFF OFFERINGS FROM A BIMONTHLY PROFESSIONAL SEMINAR SERIES TO OUR GREEN BY DESIGN WORKSHOP, WHICH IS MORE FOR, UH, HOMEOWNERS.
UM, THOSE ARE INTENDED TO DO A COUPLE THINGS.
ONE, UH, DRIVE SOME DEMAND FOR GREEN BUILDINGS SO PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT THE VALUE IS, AND THEN ALSO TO BUILD THE WORKFORCE, UM, UNDERSTANDING AND CAPABILITY TO DELIVER ON GREEN BUILDINGS.
AND THEN THE THIRD PIECE, POLICIES AND CODES.
[00:05:01]
THE RATINGS ARE INCORPORATED INTO A VARIETY OF CITY POLICY.SO, UM, DIFFERENT PUD AGREEMENTS.
THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM, THE, UH, UNIVERSITY NEIGHBORHOOD OVERLAY AND THE SMART HOUSING PROGRAM ALL INCLUDE GREEN BUILDING AS A REQUIREMENT OF PARTICIPATION.
SO, UM, I PARTICULARLY THINK THE SMART HOUSING ONE IS INTERESTING.
WE'VE HAD A LONGSTANDING, UM, MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING THAT WE WANNA BUILD HOUSING THAT'S NOT JUST CHEAP TO, UM, IN TERMS OF RENT, BUT IT'S ALSO GOING TO HAVE AFFORDABLE UTILITY BILLS.
IT'S GONNA BE A HEALTHY PLACE TO STAY, UM, AND AFFORDABLE OVER
SO, UM, OUR RATINGS CAN ALSO THEN DRIVE, UH, DIFFERENT POLICIES AND CODES.
SO MY TEAM HAS A HEAVY HAND IN DEVELOPING THE ENERGY CODE, SO WE LEARN FROM WHAT WE'RE DOING IN THE GREEN BUILDING RATINGS AND THEN INCORPORATE THAT INTO ENERGY CODE.
WE ALSO PARTNER WITH DIFFERENT CITY DEPARTMENTS ON THAT.
A RECENT, UM, SUCCESS STORY THERE HAS BEEN WITH FIRE, AND MAYBE NOT THIS TIME AROUND, BUT
ARE WE ABLE TO GET THE RIGHT SOFFIT MATERIALS WITH THE RIGHT DIAMETERS OF OPENINGS, UM, AND LAY THE GROUNDWORK SO THAT WHEN THEY CAME AROUND TO ADOPTING THAT CODE, BUILDERS WERE ALREADY FAMILIAR WITH, A LOT OF THE THINGS HAD ALREADY IMPLEMENTED THEM IN A LOT OF THEIR HOMES.
AND SO THAT KIND OF MADE IT EASIER FOR THAT CODE TO THEN GET PASSED.
UM, SO OUR WORK IS GUIDED BY A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT CITY POLICIES AND PLANS, PRIMARILY THE AUSTIN ENERGY RESOURCE GENERATION PLAN.
AND WE JUST, UM, HAD COUNCIL PASS A NEW ONE IN DECEMBER.
UM, THE WATER FORWARD PLAN, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY ZERO WASTE PLAN, AND THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.
SO WE LOOK AT WHERE THOSE CITY POLICY DOCUMENTS ARE GOING, AND THEN HOW DO WE SUPPORT THAT IN THE CONTEXT OF, UM, PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT.
THERE'S ALSO THE CITY'S, UH, SQUISHIER GOALS AROUND QUA QUALITY OF LIFE.
SO PROMOTING HEALTHIER INDOOR AND OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENTS, TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS THAT WORK FOR EVERYBODY, HUMAN HEALTH AND WELLBEING, UM, CONSTRUCTION WORKER, HEALTH AND SAFETY.
UM, SO WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS THOSE QUALITY OF LIFE, UH, ISSUES AS WELL.
UM, JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, ALL OF THE RATINGS ARE SET UP WITH THE BASIC STRUCTURE.
UM, THERE'S THREE DIFFERENT RATINGS, SINGLE FAMILY, MULTIFAMILY, AND COMMERCIAL.
AND THEY ALL HAVE A SET OF BASIC REQUIREMENTS.
IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH A LEAD RATING SYSTEM, THIS IS SIMILAR TO THE PREREQUISITES.
UM, AND IF A PROJECT MEETS ALL OF THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS, THEY EARN A ONE STAR RATING.
UM, FROM THERE WE STRUCTURE IT WITH A SET OF VOLUNTARY REQUIREMENTS IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT, UH, SUSTAINABILITY CATEGORIES FROM WATER MATERIALS, HEALTH, EQUITY, ENERGY, UM, AND THEN DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF POINTS THEY ACHIEVE, THEY CAN EARN ANYWHERE FROM ONE TO FIVE STARS.
UM, AS I HAD ALLUDED TO IN TERMS OF THE POLICY, UM, THE, THE RATINGS HAVE A BROAD IMPACT.
CAN WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE? UM, SO BECAUSE THEY'RE INCORPORATED INTO SMART HOUSING, INTO THE PUD ZONING, UM, WE END UP TOUCHING ABOUT 20 TO 30% OF THE NEW CONSTRUCTION THAT GOES ON IN AUSTIN.
UM, AND SO, UH, WE ACTUALLY, WE DON'T GIVE FINANCIAL INCENTIVES FOR PART, FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM, BUT WE DO RATE QUITE A LOT OF, UH, BUILDINGS AND WE CAPTURE THE SAVINGS FROM THOSE.
AND THIS IS JUST A SUMMARY OF SAVINGS.
WE STARTED COLLECTING SAVINGS OR IDENTIFYING THEM AND REPORTING ON THEM BACK IN 2007.
AND THAT CO CORRESPONDED WITH THE ADOPTION OF THAT FIRST, UM, CLIMATE, UH, PLAN.
SO WE LOOK AT DEMAND SAVINGS, THAT'S YOUR, UM, SHAVING YOUR PEAK DEMAND FROM THE ELECTRIC UTILITIES, UH, PERSPECTIVE, YOUR OVERALL, UH, ELECTRICITY SAVINGS, NATURAL GAS SAVINGS.
UM, WE LOOK AT HOW MANY OF OUR PROJECTS PUT PV ON THEM, GREENHOUSE GAS SAVINGS, WATER SAVINGS, AND CONSTRUCTION WASTE.
[00:10:01]
PROBABLY ACTUALLY GONNA START TRANSITIONING OUT OF CONSTRUCTION WASTE SINCE THAT HAS NOW BEEN IN CODE AND IN CONVERSATIONS WITH AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS HELP THEM JUST GET COMPLIANCE WITH THE CODE AT THIS POINT AS OPPOSED TO NECESSARILY STRIVING, UM, LOTS OF ADDITIONAL SAVINGS FROM OUR PROGRAM.SO I WAS TOLD THUS COMMISSION HAS HAD SOME PARTICULAR INTERESTS IN BIRD COLLISIONS.
SO I THOUGHT, THOUGHT I WOULD JUST THROW IN A COUPLE SIDES AND TOUCH ON THAT.
UM, THE RATINGS TOUCH A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
THIS IS A POINT IN OUR COMMERCIAL RATING.
UM, WE START BY JUST LOOKING AT THE TOPIC, WHAT INFLUENCES BIRD STRIKES? SO SKY GLOW, UM, YOUR BUILDING FACADE MATERIALS, UM, GLAZING CHOICES.
WHAT ARE THE BEST PRACTICES THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT REDUCE THOSE BIRD STRIKES? UM, AND A LOT OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH SIZE OF GLAZING, GRID, PATTERNINGS.
UM, AND THEN WE'VE TRIED TO TAKE THAT BEST PRACTICES AND STRUCTURE.
HOW DO YOU TURN THAT INTO A POINT? SO NEXT SLIDE.
UM, SO THEN WE'RE ADDRESSING THE LIGHTING THROUGH, UH, A LIGHTING MEASURE, UM, ON REDUCING YOUR UPLIGHT AND YOUR, AND YOUR SKY GLOW, AND THEN CONSTRUCTING THAT BUILDING FACADE.
AND THE WAY WE'VE UH, ADDRESSED THAT IS WITH THIS CONCEPT OF A THREAT FACTOR.
THAT WAY YOU'RE NOT TRYING TO GET AT LIKE ONE SPECIFIC, UH, MATERIAL.
'CAUSE A BUILDING MIGHT HAVE LOTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS GOING ON IN ITS FACADE, LOTS OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS.
SO LET'S TRY AND THINK ABOUT IT HOLISTICALLY.
AND THE WAY THAT WE'VE DONE THAT FOR BIRD COLLISION IS WITH THREAT FACTOR.
UM, SO LOOKING AT THE OPACITY OF THE MATERIAL AND THIS, THIS BUILDING IS AN EXAMPLE OF, UM, A FACADE THAT WORKS GREAT.
UM, IN TERMS OF BIRD COLLISION.
I THINK WITH THAT, I'LL JUST OPEN IT TO QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, COMMISSIONERS, LET'S START WITH COMMISSIONER QURESHI.
HEY, NO PRE, UH, NO QUESTIONS, BUT APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, UH, JUST, JUST CURIOUS TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS Y'ALL HAVE, DO YOU, UH, SHARE THOSE WITH CITY OF AUSTIN AND DO THEY HAVE TO FOLLOW OR TRY TO MEET A CERTAIN RATING WHEN THE CITY BUILDS A PROJECT ON THE CITY BUILDINGS? UM, SO WHAT WE DO WITH THE CITY IS THE CITY HAS A GREEN BUILDING POLICY AND OUR STAFF IS INVOLVED IN HELPING DEVELOP THAT POLICY.
SO THE, THE POLICY, UM, USUALLY IS KIND OF BROADER.
SO RIGHT, RIGHT NOW IT'S AROUND USE A LEAD RATING SYSTEM OR THE AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING RATING SYSTEM.
UM, IT DOES INCORPORATE DOING SOME DIFFERENT ANALYSES.
UM, BUT THAT WAY IT'S REALLY HARD TO SAY, DO ALL OF THESE SPECIFIC THINGS 'CAUSE THERE'S JUST, UM, MANY OF THEM AND FIGURING OUT WHICH ONES APPLY TO YOUR BUILDING.
SO THAT'S WHY WE REALLY TRY AND FOCUS ON THAT HOLISTIC THINKING AND THE CON CONSULTATIVE APPROACH SO THAT WE CAN ADDRESS THE BUILDING TYPE, THE GOALS FOR THAT BUILDING, WHAT'S APPROPRIATE, UM, ON EACH ONE, AND HELP NAVIGATE THROUGH A WHOLE MENU OF DIFFERENT POINTS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT, WHAT'S THE BEST, UM, WHAT DOES GREEN LOOK LIKE FOR THIS BUILDING.
SO YEAH, THE, THE RATING THEY OFTEN GET A, UM, BAD REP IS BEING A CHECKLIST.
AND WE REALLY TRY AND HAVE PEOPLE NOT APPROACH IT THAT WAY.
UM, BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR GOALS.
AND THEN THE RATING IS SORT OF A SUMMARY OF BEST PRACTICES AND NOW HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE DEMONSTRATE AND HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS THROUGH THESE BEST PRACTICES.
UM, MAYBE A GENERAL QUE QUESTION JUST, UH, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE, THE PROGRAM WAS AN INFORMATIVE SESSION.
UH, YOU MENTIONED, UH, LEAD, I KNOW THAT'S VERY BUILDING CENTRIC.
UM, AND UH, IT, IT SOUNDS LIKE Y'ALL WITH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE BIRD COLLISIONS AND OTHER ASPECTS YOU MENTIONED MENTIONED DO BLEND INTO THE LANDSCAPE A LITTLE BIT.
SO JUST CURIOUS HOW, HOW Y'ALL APPROACH THE, UM, IMPACTS OR THE GREEN BUILDING OF THE LANDSCAPE VERSUS JUST OUTSIDE THE, THE STRUCTURE, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
AND I THINK LEAD DOES THIS TOO.
UM, SO LEAD IS A GREAT RATING SYSTEM.
UM, OURS IS VERY SIMILAR AND AKIN AND I THINK WE BORROW IDEAS FROM THEM AS WELL AND TRY AND ALIGN WHERE IT MAKES SENSE.
WE JUST LIKE HAVING A LOCAL TOOL 'CAUSE WE CAN BASELINE EVERYTHING TO OUR GOALS.
BUT YEAH, WE HAVE A WHOLE SITE CATEGORY.
UM, SO WE DO LOOK AT THINGS LIKE, WHERE ARE YOU CITED? ARE YOU CITED NEAR TRANSPORTATION? UM, ARE YOU CITED, UH, IN A WALKABLE AREA?
[00:15:01]
UM, AND THEN HOW ARE YOU TREATING YOUR SITE? HOW ARE YOU TREATING WASTEWATER ON YOUR SITE? WHAT RUNOFF LOOK LIKE? UM, ARE YOU PRESERVING NATURAL HABITATS? YOU USING POTABLE WATER FOR IRRIGATION? SO WE, YEAH, WE DO HAVE AN ENTIRE SITE CATEGORY AND, AND TRY AND PROVIDE BEST PRACTICES THERE TOO.UM, AND LAST QUESTION, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THE PROGRAM THAT WAS WITH AMERICAN YOUTH WORKS OFF, UH, ON SOUTHEAST SIDE, IT WAS CALLED CASA VERDE BUILDERS.
UH, IS THAT A PROGRAM Y'ALL SUPPORT? IS THAT OR, UM, UM, WE HAVE WORKED WITH THEM IN THE PAST AND RATED THEIR STUFF.
UH, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE ANYTHING, UM, ACTIVE WITH THEM CURRENTLY.
COMMISSIONER KRUEGER, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
UM, LET ME KNOW IF THIS IS OUTSIDE OF YOUR WHEELHOUSE, BUT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THE PASSIVE HOUSE PILOT PROGRAM THAT WAS VOTED IN LAST YEAR.
IF YOU HAVE ANY UPDATES ON THAT, IF IT'S AT ALL RELATED TO THE WORK YOU DO OR HOW YOU'RE INCORPORATING MM-HMM
LESSONS LEARNED FROM THAT PROJECT.
UM, SO THAT IS IT, IT HAS LANDED IN MY, WITH MY TEAM TO DEVELOP THAT PILOT.
UM, WE ARE HOPING TO, WE'RE DEVELOPING JUST THE GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS AND THE, UH, ALL OF THE, UM, PLATFORMS AND, AND
UM, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO LAUNCH IT PRETTY SOON.
IT'S GONNA BE A WHILE BEFORE WE HAVE ANY LESSONS LEARNED FROM THAT PILOT.
UM, JUST 'CAUSE WE HAVE TO ENROLL SOME BUILDINGS AND THEN BUILDINGS TAKE A WHILE TO BUILD.
SO IT'S, AND THE PILOT, RIGHT? IT'S DIRECTED SPECIFICALLY AT AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS, IS THAT RIGHT? YES.
IT'LL BE DIRECTED SPECIFICALLY AT A, AT AFFORDABLE MULTIFAMILY IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
DO YOU HAVE ANY, I KNOW YOU SAID IT'S GONNA BE, WELL, DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF A TIMELINE IN TERMS OF WHEN NEXT STEPS MIGHT HAPPEN? YEAH, SO I, I HAVE ALL THOSE DRAFT DOCUMENTS NOW.
IT'S LIKE OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS ARE WITH OUR LEGAL TEAM TO REVIEW MM-HMM
SO WE'RE HOPING TO ACTUALLY OPEN APPLICATIONS SOMETIME THIS SPRING AND START ENROLLING PROJECTS OVER THE SUMMER.
UM, THEY THEN IT'LL BE A FEW YEARS, RIGHT? SO THEY'LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH A DESIGN PHASE, UM, BUILD THE BUILDING.
SO I IMAGINE IT'LL BE FIVE OR SIX YEARS BEFORE WE HAVE ACTUAL COMPLETED BUILDINGS.
UM, AND THEN YOU MENTIONED THERE ARE NO FINANCIAL INCENTIVES FOR THIS STAR RATING SYSTEM.
SO I'M CURIOUS, IS THE BUILT-IN INCENTIVE JUST THE REPUTATION THAT IT CAN AFFORD COMPANIES AND THE HOPE THAT RESIDENTS WILL BE MORE ATTRACTED TO LIVE IN UNITS THAT HAVE A, A HIGHER RATING OR WHAT'S THE THINKING THERE? SO THERE, WE HOPE THAT THERE IS THAT MARKETING INCENTIVE AND WE DO ENCOURAGE OUR PROJECTS TO, UH, USE THAT.
WE, UH, WE GIVE 'EM PLAQUES AND CERTIFICATES AND, AND THE LIKE, UM, THEY ARE GETTING THE INCENTIVE THROUGH THE ZONING.
SO, UM, IF YOU'RE GOING FOR A PUD ZONING, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DEMONSTRATE TO THE CITY THAT YOU'RE BUILDING SOMETHING SUPERIOR.
SO THE GREEN BUILDING RATING IS ONE OF THE WAYS THAT THEY DEMONSTRATE THIS IS GOING TO BE SUPERIOR DEVELOPMENT.
SO THE INCENTIVE IS IN THE ZONING AS OPPOSED TO, UM, A FINANCIAL INCENTIVE FOR THE BUILDING.
UM, IN THE CASE OF SMART HOUSING, THEY'RE GETTING FEE WAIVERS FOR BUILDING THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
AND THEN GREEN BUILDING IS A COMPONENT OF WHAT THE CITY IS ASKING FOR IN TERMS OF QUALITY, AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
UM, AND THEN I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WANTING TO HAVE A LOCAL CODE THAT GIVES YOU A BASELINE TO MEASURE FROM.
ARE THERE ANY FEDERAL INCENTIVES THAT CURRENTLY EXIST OR IN THE PAST EXISTED FOR LEAD RATING OR ENERGY STAR OR ANY OF THE OTHER SYSTEMS THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF? YES.
UH, SO THERE ARE A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TAX CREDITS.
UM, THERE'S, UH, TAX, UH, SOME AROUND AFFORDABLE HOUSING TOO THAT DO RECOGNIZE SOME OF THOSE OTHER PROGRAMS. OURS IS VERY SYMBIOTIC WITH THOSE.
UM, WE CERTAINLY HAVE PROJECTS THAT DO BOTH.
AND THAT'S AGAIN, WHERE WE CAN ALIGN WITH LEAD.
WE TRY TO, THAT WAY IF A PROJECT TEAM IS DOING BOTH, THEN UM, WE TRY AND MAKE THAT AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE.
COMMISSIONER NICHOLS, NO QUESTIONS ON MY END, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
SO, UM, ONE OF THE BIG GROWING INDUSTRIES IN THIS AREA IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND, UH, TO, TO WORK ON THOSE WHERE, UH, CREATING MORE DATA CENTERS.
ARE YOU GUYS TRACKING THAT? THE AUSTIN BUSINESS JOURNAL DID A REPORT AND THEY SHOWED THAT IN,
[00:20:01]
UM, FROM 2020, FROM 2016 UP TO 2024, THERE'S BEEN AN EXPLOSION OF DATA CENTERS.NONE OF THEM ARE IN AUSTIN, BUT THEY'RE IN ALL THE SURROUNDING AREA.
BUT, UM, ARE YOU GUYS TRACKING THAT BECAUSE THEY'RE HUGE ELECTRICITY USERS? YEAH.
SO AS AN ELECTRIC UTILITY, YES, WE ARE DEFINITELY PAYING VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THAT.
UM, SOME OF THOSE, UH, COMPANIES HAVE BEEN APPROACHING US FOR INTERCONNECTION STUDIES.
UM, SO WE HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO IT, UH, FROM THAT STANDPOINT AND HOW WE'RE GONNA SERVE THAT LOAD FROM A GREEN BUILDING STANDPOINT.
UM, LESS SO, UH, THERE'S, IT'S, I DON'T, I DON'T THINK THAT THE, UH, I'VE SEEN, UH, GOOD RUBRICS YET.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT THEY AREN'T COMING ON HOW TO MAKE THAT A, A MORE EFFICIENT BUILDING TYPE MM-HMM
UM, 'CAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE NOT DEALING SO MUCH WITH THE VARIOUS, UH, THINGS THAT GO ON INSIDE A BUILDING.
UM, AND IF YOU BUILD WELL INSULATED BOX WITHOUT WINDOWS, WHICH MOST DATA CENTERS ARE GONNA BE, RIGHT, HOW MUCH MORE CAN WE IMPROVE THE BUILDING? SO IT GETS DOWN TO HOW EFFICIENT ARE YOU OPERATING THE DATA CENTER? HOW EFFICIENT IS THE EQUIPMENT AND THAT RIGHT.
BECAUSE ONE OF ONE OF MY WORRIES IS THAT THEY'RE GONNA PUT IN THEIR OWN LITTLE NATURAL GAS BURNING POWER PLANTS AND, YOU KNOW, JUST SAY, FORGET AUSTIN ENERGY AND THEY'LL ENERGY DO THEIR OWN GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS WHILE THEY'RE GENERATING ELECTRICITY.
UM, SOME OF THE BIGGER COMPANIES, I, I AM ENCOURAGED BY SOME OF THE BIGGER COMPANIES THAT HAVE, UM, ESG GOALS AND CLIMATE GOALS.
I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT'S GONNA PLAY OUT UNDER CURRENT POLITICAL SITUATION, BUT, UM, I KNOW A LOT OF THEM ARE DRIVING INVESTMENT IN THINGS LIKE, UH, SMALL NUCLEAR AND, UM, HYDROGEN.
'CAUSE THEY'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW THEY DO MEET THAT GROWING DEMAND AND THEIR OWN INTERNAL GOALS FOR BEING ZERO CARBON.
BUT I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF SMART PEOPLE TRYING TO WORK ON THE PROBLEM.
I MEAN, THESE THINGS ARE BIG ENOUGH THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT LIKE EVERYWHERE, BUT THEY ARE GONNA BE A BIG PROBLEM IN THE FUTURE.
I MEAN, IT CAME UP A LOT IN THE RESOURCE GENERATION PLAN.
I'M GIVING A TALK ON THIS DURING SOUTH BY INTERACTIVE
I, I HAVE, I'VE HAD TO TELL PEOPLE I CANNOT EFFICIENCY THE CITY OUT OF THE USE THAT THE LOAD GROWTH FROM A DATA CENTER.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UH, FOLLOWING UP ON, UH, COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN'S, UH, QUESTION A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY.
UH, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT PUDS, BUT A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT WE SEE, UH, WE SEE PUDS OCCASIONALLY, BUT MM-HMM
WE ALSO SEE MORE FREQUENTLY INDIVIDUAL BUILDINGS OR MAYBE ONE OR TWO BUILDINGS IN A CLUSTER.
UH, DO YOU TRY TO WORK WITH THEM? WE DO.
UM, TO PUSH THIS, THESE GOALS? YEAH.
SO WE CERTAINLY WORK WITH, UM, THOSE BUILDINGS.
OUR PROGRAM IS OPEN TO ANYBODY THAT THAT'S IN OUR SERVICE TERRITORY THAT WANTS TO USE IT.
AND THEN EVEN FOR SINGLE FAMILY, WE ACTUALLY HAVE AN EXTENDED AREA RATING PROGRAM THAT OPERATES IN A 27, UM, COUNTY AREA.
SO THAT IF FOLKS WE'VE TRAINED EXTENDED AREA RATERS TO ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN, ENERGY SERVICE TERRITORY.
UM, SO YES, WE DO WORK WITH THEM AND WE GET SOME PARTICIPATION THERE, BUT IT'S NOT REQUIRED.
AND WITHOUT A FINANCIAL INCENTIVE, WE DO THE BEST WE CAN.
HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED FINANCIAL INCENTIVES? UM, WHAT WE HAVE, WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY CONSIDERING IS FINANCIAL INCENTIVES, IN PARTICULAR, UM, FOCUSED AREAS WHERE WE THINK THAT WE, SO WE DON'T WANNA NECESSARILY INCENTIVIZE THINGS THAT PEOPLE ARE, ARE ALREADY DOING OR ARE ALREADY INCORPORATING AS BEST PRACTICE.
BUT, UM, THOSE PLACES WHERE WE THINK THE TECHNOLOGY NEEDS A BIT OF A BOOST TO GET MARKET, UH, TRANSFORMATION GOING.
UM, HEAT PUMP WATER HEATERS ARE A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THAT.
THERE'S A REALLY HIGH UPFRONT COST TO THOSE, BUT THEY DO HAVE A GREAT PAYBACK AND THEY'RE A GREAT EFFICIENCY STORY.
UM, SO THAT'S A PLACE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, LAUNCHING NEW CONSTRUCTION INCENTIVES.
SO WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE RATING, UM, WE DO PROMOTE THOSE OTHER AREAS THAT WE HAVE INCENTIVES.
SO WE HAVE INCENTIVES FOR SOLAR, WE HAVE INCENTIVES FOR, UM, EV CHARGING STATIONS.
AND SO WHERE WE HAVE INCENTIVES, WE ALSO COMMUNICATE THAT AND PROMOTE IT THROUGH THE RATING.
HAVE THAT, HAS THAT WORKED MUCH? MM-HMM
[00:25:02]
OKAY.I JUST HAD A COUPLE QUESTIONS.
UM, I WAS CURIOUS IF, UM, IF THERE ARE SOME, UM, BUILDINGS THAT YOU TAKE SOME APPLICANTS TO YOU OR LIKE REFER SOME APPLICANTS TO BE, TO AS EXAMPLES TO, UM, IMPROVE THEIR, THEIR BUILDING.
LIKE LET'S SAY LIKE IF THEY, UM, ARE COMING TO YOU FOR ADVICE ON HOW TO MAKE BIRD FRIENDLY, UM, INITIATIVES BETTER UHHUH,
LIKE, IS THERE, IS THERE LIKE SOME STANDARDS WHERE YOU'RE LIKE, OKAY, THIS IS A PER PERFECT EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING THAT YOU COULD DO TO KIND OF GIVE THEM AN IDEA WHEN THEY'RE DESIGNING? WE HAVE SOME TOOLS AROUND IT.
I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW IF IT GETS QUITE TO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
SO, UM, WITHIN THE GUIDEBOOKS THEMSELVES, THOSE ARE RESOURCE DOCUMENT AND WE HAVE LOTS OF LINKS TO OTHER, MORE IN DEPTH INFORMATION ABOUT THE DIFFERENT TOPICS THAT ARE COVERED IN THE GUIDEBOOK.
SO FOR INSTANCE, ON DARK SKIES, UM, WE'LL LIST, WE'LL PROVIDE LINKS AND RESOURCES TO THE ILLUMINATION ENGINEERING SOCIETIES, UM, MATERIAL ON THAT.
UM, SO THAT WE DON'T SHOVE IT ALL IN THE GUIDEBOOK, BUT WE TRY AND CONNECT PEOPLE TO THE OTHER RESOURCES.
UM, WE HAVE CASE STUDIES, UH, THERE'S ONLY SO MANY OF THEM WE CAN PRODUCE IN ANY GIVEN YEAR.
SO, UM, WE TRY AND NAVIGATE, UH, INTERESTING TOPICS, UH, IN THOSE AND POINT TO THOSE AS GOOD EXAMPLES FOR PEOPLE.
AND THEN THE PROFESSIONAL WEBINAR SERIES, UM, THOSE VARIED, ARE VARIED TOPICS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
UM, A LOT OF THEM RIGHT NOW WE ARE CAPTURING THEM, UM, AND RECORDING THEM, ADDING QUIZZES AND PUTTING THEM INTO AN ONLINE LIBRARY AS WELL.
SO IF YOU CAN'T ATTEND THE LIVE VERSION, YOU CAN STILL GO TO THE LIBRARY, WATCH THE SEMINAR, TAKE A QUIZ, AND GET CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR IT.
YES, WE TRY AND EDUCATE FOLKS, BUT, UM, AND THEN FOR CITY DEPARTMENTS WHO ARE WORKING ON A GOAL, LIKE I SAID, WE'VE WORKED WITH FIRE, WE'VE WORKED WITH AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY, WE'VE WORKED A LITTLE BIT WITH WATER, UM, SOME SPECIFIC THINGS THAT THEY'VE HAD, GOING TO SEE HOW WE CAN PARTNER WITH THEM ON THAT.
BUT, UM, NOT ON EVERY SINGLE TOPIC.
WE JUST, THERE'S ONLY SO MANY HOURS IN THE DAY AND SO MANY STAFF
AND ANOTHER QUESTION I WAS, I WAS WONDERING ABOUT WAS, UM, IF THERE HAVE BEEN SOME, SOME GREEN BUILDING LIKE, UH, TECHNIQUES THAT HAVE KIND OF BEEN RULED OUT THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, LIKE, OKAY, MAYBE THIS TECHNIQUE USED TO BE A, A RECOMMENDATION, BUT IT'S NOT AS, UM, BIRD FRIENDLY FOR C COLLISIONS.
I'M JUST TRYING TO THROW LIKE A EXAMPLE TO KIND OF SUM UP WHAT I'M KIND OF TALKING ABOUT.
UM, NOTHING COMES TO MIND SPECIFICALLY AROUND BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN.
UM, I WILL SAY THAT UNDERSTANDING IN THE MARKET HAS EVOLVED IN AREAS, UH, PARTICULARLY AROUND LIKE MATERIAL HEALTH.
UM, SO THERE WAS A LOT OF FOCUS ON GETTING VOCS OUT OF MATERIALS, SO VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS.
UM, WHAT THE INDUSTRY HAS BEEN TRYING TO DO IS GET A LITTLE BIT MORE HOLISTIC THINKING AND LOOKING AT EMISSIONS, UM, TESTING FOR MATERIALS.
EVEN THERE IT'S A LITTLE BIT INCOMPLETE.
SO MATERIAL CHEMISTRY IS ONE THAT'S KIND OF EVOLVING.
SO YOU GET RID OF THE VOCS, THAT'S GREAT.
A LOT OF PRODUCTS HAVE DRAMATICALLY IMPROVED, BUT THEN SOME OF THEM REPLACE THE VOCS WITH US VOCS.
SO THERE ARE CASES WHERE YOU'RE THINKING, IS THIS A REGRETTABLE SUBSTITUTION? UM, AND THEN THE SAME THING APPLIES FOR LIKE RECYCLED MATERIALS.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE CAREFUL AND JUST BLANKET, UM, AND PUSHING PEOPLE TO USE AND, AND INCORPORATE RECYCLED MATERIALS INTO THEIR PRODUCTS BECAUSE THOSE PRODUCTS THEN CAN, IF YOU'RE RECYCLING THE WRONG STUFF INTO THE PRODUCT, BRING IN A HEALTH ISSUE INTO YOUR BUILDING.
SO, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF LIKE RECYCLED TIRE FLOORING.
UM, YOU PROBABLY DON'T WANNA PUT THAT INTO A BUILDING IT TURNS OUT 'CAUSE IT'S GONNA OFF GAS.
SO TRYING TO GET SMART ABOUT WHAT, AGAIN, GOING BACK, TRYING NOT TO JUST USE IT AS A CHECKLIST, LIKE MM-HMM
I'M GREAT, I DID RECYCLED MATERIALS, BUT WHAT IS YOUR GOAL? SO IF WE HAVE A GOAL OF A HEALTHY BUILDING, THEN LET'S MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING WE'RE DOING WORKS TOWARD THAT END.
I KNOW, UM, WE'VE, IN THE PAST WE'VE HAD SOME PEOPLE SUGGEST, UM, RECYCLING CONCRETE FROM LIKE DEMOLISHED BUILDINGS.
IS THERE, HAS THERE BEEN ANY ISSUES THAT YOU'VE SEEN WITH THAT OR NO? NO.
UH, GENERALLY THE USES FOR THAT, IT ENDS UP GOING INTO THINGS LIKE ROAD BASE AND I THINK IT'S A REALLY HEAVY MATERIAL.
SO IF WE CAN FIND A USE FOR IT INSTEAD OF STICKING IT IN THE LANDFILL.
WELL THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS I HAD.
UM, DOESN'T LOOK LIKE ANYONE HAS ANY OTHER
[00:30:01]
QUESTIONS.SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
[5. Discussion and recommendation on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Austin Light Rail – Commissioners Sullivan and Qureshi]
UP WE HAVE, SHOULD WE GO AHEAD AND GO TO THE DISCUSSION ACTION ITEM? OKAY.A DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATION ON DRAFT, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN.
WELL, WE ALL, UM, WERE GIVEN A LINK TO THE, UH, VERY LENGTHY DRAFT.
EIS UM, I HOPE EVERYBODY HAD A CHANCE TO AT LEAST READ THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND MAYBE SCAN THROUGH SOME OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS.
'CAUSE IT WENT INTO MORE DETAIL THAN JUST THAT.
UH, I MEAN, ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT.
IT ALSO TALKED ABOUT HOUSING AND, UH, SOME OF THE DISPLACEMENT THAT MIGHT HAPPEN AND REFERRED TO THE FACT THAT WE HAVE $300 MILLION TO HELP WITH THE INVOLUNTARY DISPLACEMENT THAT MIGHT HAPPEN FOR HOUSES, HOMES AND WHATNOT.
BUT, UM, I THINK THAT IT'S IN OUR, UH, IT'S PART OF OUR DUTY TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE, UM, DEI AT THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT.
UM, AND SO I'M WILLING TO MAKE A, I MEAN, I'VE, I LOOKED AT IT VERY CLOSELY AND, UM, MADE A FEW NOTES AND I'M WILLING TO MAKE A MOTION ABOUT IT.
UM, QUESTIONS? ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? COMMISSIONERS? I'M JUST CURIOUS IF WE HAVE A, A WRITTEN RECOMMENDATION.
I I DRAFTED UP A VERY SHORT ONE.
I SAID, WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION HAS HAD A BRIEFING ON LIGHT RAIL AND HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT.
AND WHEREAS AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP HAS OFFERED INDIVIDUALS THE CHANCE TO SUBMIT COMMENTS, THEREFORE THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION OFFERS A GENERAL ENDORSEMENT OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT WITH THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL COMMENTS.
AND I THINK ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ONES IS THAT THEY SHOULD, UM, REPLACEMENT PARKLAND SHOULD BE IDENTIFIED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE CONCERNS WHEN THEY GO OVER LADY BIRD LAKE, THEY'RE GONNA TAKE SOME OF THE PARKLAND, UM, ON THE NORTH SIDE, AND THEN THEY'RE GONNA GO ABOVE GRADE WHEN THEY GET ON THE OTHER SIDE.
SO IT, IT WON'T BE AS MUCH OF AN ISSUE.
UM, I HAVE A CONCERN THAT THEY'RE GONNA BUILD PARKING GARAGES AT THE END OF THE, AT, YOU KNOW, AT AL TORF AND THE SOUTH AND 38TH STREET IN THE NORTH.
AND THEY OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO REDEVELOP THOSE, UM, LATER.
BECAUSE ONCE YOU EXTEND THE RAIL, THIS IS ONLY PHASE ONE.
ONCE THEY EXTEND THE RAIL LATER IN THE FUTURE, THEY MIGHT NOT NEED THOSE PARKING GARAGES BECAUSE THERE'D BE LESS PARKING.
BECAUSE RIGHT NOW PEOPLE ARE GONNA DRIVE TO THOSE PARKING GARAGES TO CATCH THE TRAIN.
BUT ONCE THE TRAIN GOES UP TO CRESTVIEW AND FARTHER NORTH OR FARTHER SOUTH, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'LL BE LESS DOING THAT.
UM, SO ANYWAY, THOSE ARE, THAT, THAT THE, THOSE PARKING GARAGES SHOULD BE BUILT SO AS TO FACILITATE REDEVELOPMENT LATER IF LESS PARKING IS NEEDED AFTER RAIL IS EXTENDED.
AND, UM, SO THOSE ARE THE TWO POINTS I WANTED TO MAKE, BUT OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE.
ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANYTHING THEY WANT TO ADD TO IT? I KNOW COMMISSIONER BRIER ALSO REVIEWED IT VERY CLOSELY.
I WAS EXPECTING YOU TO VOICE SOME CONCERNS.
WELL, I'LL, UM, BEFORE I'LL WE MOVE ON.
WAS THERE A SECOND TO THE MOTION? WELL, WELL, I MEAN, I DIDN'T MAKE IT AS A MOTION.
I MEAN, I, I MEAN, I JUST READ IT, BUT I'LL MAKE THAT AS A MOTION.
DO YOU MIND IF, FOR THE RECORD, BECAUSE I, I THINK YOU GAVE SOME EXTRA EXPLANATION, WHICH WAS GREAT, BUT JUST FOR US TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE VOTING ON, IF YOU WOULD JUST READ THE LANGUAGE.
WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION HAS HAD A BRIEFING ON LIGHT RAIL AND HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT.
AND WHEREAS AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION PARTNERSHIP HAS OFFERED INDIVIDUALS THE CHANCE TO SUBMIT COMMENTS AS INDIVIDUALS, THEREFORE THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION OFFERS A GENERAL ENDORSEMENT OF THE DRAFT EIS WITH THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, ONE, THAT REPLACEMENT PARKLAND SHOULD BE IDENTIFIED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
TWO, THAT PARKING GARAGES AT END POINTS AND PHASE ONE SHOULD BE BUILT SO AS TO FACILITATE REDEVELOPMENT LATER IF LESS PARKING IS NEEDED AFTER RAIL IS EXTENDED.
I'LL SECOND ANY DISCUSSION COMMISSIONERS, COMMISSIONER BARBER, BEFORE I SAY ANYTHING, I'D LIKE TO DEFER TO ANY OF THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS TO HEAR WHAT THEY SAY ON THE THEORY THAT THEY MAY HAVE A COMMENT THAT ALTERS WHAT I MIGHT SAY.
SO DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY COMMENTS RELATIVE TO WHAT COMMISSIONER
[00:35:01]
SULLIVAN SAID? COMMISSIONER KRESKY, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING.NO, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, I DIDN'T SEE ANYBODY RUSHING TO SAY ANYTHING BEFOREHAND.
SO, I MEAN, I THINK WE'RE ALL WAITING FOR, UH, COMMISSIONER BREMER'S ANALYSIS, YOU KNOW, SINCE YOU'VE STATED A FEW TIMES THAT YOU'VE BEEN MAKING YOUR WAY THROUGH IT.
SO YOU'RE CERTAINLY BETTER THAN ME ON THIS REGARD.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HERE TO REVIEW THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT.
WE'RE NOT HERE TO PASS JUDGMENT ON LIGHT RAIL.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING I WANNA MAKE ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY CLEAR IS WHAT WE'RE HERE TO DO AND WHAT WE'RE HERE NOT TO DO.
UH, I WILL SAY THAT AS I'VE TRAVELED THE COUNTRY, DALLAS, SAN FRANCISCO, DC I'VE MADE A POINT TO STAY AT HOTELS THAT ARE CLOSE TO LIGHT RAIL OR MASS TRANSIT STOPS.
AND TO USE THOSE 'CAUSE I FIND THEM CONVENIENT AND EXPENSIVE AND MAINLY MORE FLEXIBLE IN CROWDED AREAS AS OPPOSED USING, USING A PRIVATE, YOU KNOW, MY PRIVATE CAR OR RENTAL CAR.
SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S MY PERSONAL DECISION.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN WANTED TO BRING THIS UP TO VOTE ON SO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION CAN MAKE A, UH, YOU KNOW, A STATEMENT ON IT.
NOW, AS MOST OF YOU KNOW, I WAS, UH, TRAPPED IN A CABIN IN NEW HAMPSHIRE FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.
AND FOR A PERIOD OF TIME I WAS SNOWED IN FOR WITH SIX FEET OF SNOW.
AND THAT GIVES YOU A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, GO THROUGH 16,300 PAGES WORTH OF, UH, MATERIAL.
AND, UH, THAT, THAT REALLY COVERS EVERY ASPECT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON, UH, LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM OF AUSTIN.
AND EVEN WITH ALL THAT TIME, I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO GO THROUGH ALL OF IT, BUT I TRIED TO HIT THE, WHAT I CONSIDERED THE HIGH POINTS OF EVERYTHING.
AND FRANKLY, I WAS DISAPPOINTED THE QUALITY WORK OF THE DOCUMENT.
UH, I FIND THAT IT LACKED DETAILS ON HOW IT'S GONNA MANAGE TOXIC WASTE.
UH, IT LACKED, UH, ANY COMMUNITY INPUT.
IT LISTS MOST OF THE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT PARKS HISTORICAL SITES AS WHAT IS LABELED AS DE MINIMUS.
UH, IT USES POOR SCIENTIFIC METHODS TO EVALUATE IMPACT ON ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES AND DISCARDS IMPACT ON LOCAL BAT AND BIRD POPULATIONS.
IT DOESN'T APPEAR TO REFERENCE ANY DATA OF CURRENT SYSTEMS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY LIKE PORTLAND, DALLAS, HOUSTON, SAN FRANCISCO, WASHINGTON DC AND USE THAT DATA FROM THOSE SITES TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT ON HOW THAT MIGHT DETERMINE WHAT GOES ON IN AUSTIN.
SO IT DIDN'T GATHER DATA FROM EXISTING SYSTEMS AND APPLY THAT TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO DETERMINE HOW IT WOULD IMPACT THEORETICALLY THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN, THE ENVIRONMENT, THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE NEAR ALL THIS STUFF, ALL THAT SORT OF THING.
HOW IT WAS BUILT, THE IMPACT ON RELOCATED PEOPLE, BUSINESSES, TRANSPORTATIONS, ALL THAT SORT OF STUFF.
NO, NONE OF WHAT THEY DID INCORPORATED PAST EXPERIENCES, ANY OTHER LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM IN THE COUNTRY.
NOW I'M NOT GONNA REHASH ALL THAT I WENT THROUGH THE LAST TIME.
I'M GONNA HIT A COUPLE OF POINTS THOUGH THAT I THINK THAT ARE IMPORTANT.
THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP IS PERHAPS BREAKING CITY CODE CIRCUM ARTICLE TWO, CHAPTER SEVEN, REGARDING ALIENATION OF PARKS THAT SPECIFICALLY REQUIRES A VOTE OF THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN.
BEFORE PARKLAND IS USED FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN PARKS, THERE IS SECOND, THERE'S NO SPECIFIC PLAN TO HANDLE KNOWN TOXIC WASTE SITES THAT WILL BE IMPACTED DURING THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM.
AND THEY'VE IDENTIFIED MULTIPLE TOXIC WASTE SITES ALONG THE RAIL LINE.
A THOROUGH REVIEW OF PALEO INDIAN SITES AND MEXICAN HABITATION SITES HAS NOT BEEN CONDUCTED AND COULD DESTROY PRICELESS ARTIFACTS AND HISTORY.
THERE IS KNOWN NEGATIVE IMPACT TO LOCAL BAT POPULATIONS AND POSSIBLE, AND A POSSIBLE FALSE ASSUMPTION.
THE LOCAL WILDLIFE WILL QUOTE, ADAPT UNQUOTE TO ALL THIS CONSTRUCTION THROUGHOUT, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE TIME AND IN PERPETUITY, IN SOME CASES, UP TO 30%
[00:40:01]
OF SOME NEIGHBORHOOD PARTS WILL BE CONSUMED BY THIS CONSTRUCTION ACTION.COMMUNITIES NEAR THESE NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS HAVE NOT BEEN NOTIFIED OF THIS, BUT NO COMMUNITY INPUT HAS BEEN GATHERED AND THIS HAS BEEN LABELED AS DE MINIMUS.
NOW, I TOOK LATIN IN HIGH SCHOOL.
LATIN IN LATIN, IF I RECALL CORRECTLY.
DI MINIMUS MEANS WE JUST DIDN'T LOOK INTO THIS, OKAY? HISTORICAL SITES WILL BE IMPACTED THROUGH SEIZURE OF PROPERTY AND EASEMENTS.
THEY HAVEN'T LOOKED INTO THE IMPACT OF THIS ACTIVITY TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT ON THE HISTORICAL VALUE OF THAT SITE ONCE THIS HAS BEEN DONE.
OKAY? NOW THOSE ARE SOME OF THE HIGH POINTS THAT I WENT THROUGH BEFORE, BUT HERE'S ONE THING I THINK WE HAVEN'T REALLY DISCUSSED BEFORE.
WE ARE BEING ASKED TO IMPROVE.
UH, MY FINAL POINT IS THIS REALLY AN OPERATIONAL MAINTENANCE FACILITIES BE LOCATED IN EAST AUSTIN.
NOW I'M GONNA ASK YOU TO PULL OUT YOUR PHONES, YOUR COMPUTERS, AND I WANT YOU TO LOOK UP 31 0 1 OAK LANE IN DALLAS.
AND I WANT YOU TO PULL UP A SATELLITE VIEW, NOT A MAP VIEW.
THAT'S A SATELLITE VIEW OF AN OPERATION MAINTENANCE FACILITY IN DALLAS OR A LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM.
OKAY? SO THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE BUILDING IN EAST AUSTIN.
NOW THIS IS AT THE END OF THE LINE.
AND OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE FACILITIES ARE ALWAYS BUILT AT THE END OF THE LINE BECAUSE, WELL, IT'S OUT OF THE WAY OF EVERYTHING.
YOU DON'T HAVE TRAINS GOING THROUGH THERE.
EVERYTHING'S VERY LOGICAL AND YOU KNOW, EVERYONE DOES.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS BEING BUILT IN EAST AUSTIN JUST FOR A MOMENT.
BACK IN THE MID TWENTIES, THE CITY DECIDED IT WAS REALLY CONVENIENT TO MOVE MINORITIES EAST OF WHAT IS NOW KNOWN AS I 35.
WELL, IT WAS CONVENIENT A LITTLE LATER ON WE DECIDED TO MOVE GASOLINE STORAGE TANKS INTO EAST AUSTIN BECAUSE IT WAS CONVENIENT.
WE DIDN'T WANT 'EM IN TARRYTOWN BECAUSE I MEAN, REALLY WHAT COULD GO WRONG, RIGHT? I MEAN, REALLY WHAT COULD GO WRONG BACK IN 19 OR BACK ABOUT TWO OR THREE YEARS AGO, THE CITY BUILT AVIATION FUEL STORAGE TANKS ACROSS FROM SINGLE FAMILY HOUSES AT THE NEW AIRPORT.
OKAY? NOW WE ARE BUILDING IN EAST AUSTIN A OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE FACILITY.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ALL THINK OF THIS.
THE WHOLE PROPERTY OR MOST OF THAT PROPERTY OVER THERE IS ALREADY ZONED AS A LIGHT INDUSTRIAL.
SO NOMINALLY IT'S OKAY TO DO THAT.
BUT DRIVING BACK FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TOUR THAT FACILITY IN DALLAS, INCLUDING WHERE THEY STORE THE TOXIC WASTE.
NOW OUT, THERE'S NO MENTION IN THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT OF TOXIC WASTE STORAGE MANAGEMENT, ANYTHING.
AND WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT MAINTENANCE OF VEHICLES, THERE'S A LOT OF MINOR WASTE STUFF, CLEANING MATERIALS, YOU KNOW, ALL THAT SORT OF STUFF THAT'S THERE.
BUT THEY DON'T MENTION THAT THERE'S A, UH, CARSON CREEK WATERSHED GOES THROUGH THERE.
AND THIS IS DOCUMENTED BY, UH, WATERSHED.
NOW THE MAPS THAT PROVIDED BY THE DOCUMENT AREN'T VERY CLEAR BECAUSE, WELL, THEY DIDN'T MAKE THEM CLEAR, BUT APPARENTLY PART OF THE FACILITY MAY BE BUILT IN A 100 YEAR FLOODPLAIN, BUT YOU CAN'T REALLY TELL BECAUSE THE MAPS PROVIDED BY THE DOCUMENT REALLY AREN'T VERY ACCURATE.
SO IT'S HARD TO COMPARE THOSE MAPS WITH THE ONES THAT PROVIDED BY WATERSHED.
I WILL SAY THIS THING COMES WITHIN 20 FEET OF A MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AND 180 FEET OF A SINGLE FAMILY HOUSING DEVELOPMENT.
SO WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN HAPPEN HERE, WHY IS THIS BEING BUILT IN EAST AUSTIN? COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN MENTIONED TWO OTHER END OF THE LINES.
ONE OF THEM IS 38TH AND GUADALUPE, THE OTHER ONE IS AT OLTORF AND CONGRESS.
[00:45:01]
MAINTENANCE FACILITIES AT THE END OF THE LINE, WE REALLY HAVE THREE ENDS OF THE LINE.ONE AT GUADALUPE AND 38TH AND ONE AT UL TURF AND CONGRESS.
SO I'M GONNA ASK YOU, WHY ARE WE PUTTING THIS IN EAST AUSTIN? WHY AREN'T WE PUTTING THIS AT CONGRESS IN UL TORF OR 38TH AND GUADALUPE? AND IF YOU GO TO 38TH AND GUADALUPE ON THE NORTHWEST CORNER, THERE'S A BIG VACANT LOT THERE.
EMPTY, PUT ANYTHING YOU WANT THERE.
I KNOW ZONING'S AN ISSUE, YOU KNOW, BUT THE CITY REZONED STUFF ALL THE TIME, ALL THE TIME.
THAT CAN BE REZONED TO BE LIGHT INDUSTRY.
I ASK YOU, WHY ARE WE PUTTING A LIGHT MAINTENANCE FACILITY WITH TOXIC WASTE IN EAST AUSTIN? AGAIN, THINK ABOUT THIS, WITH NO WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN DOESN'T EVEN REFERENCE ANYTHING.
SO MY OBJECTION TO THIS PLAN IS THAT IT, IT'S INCOMPLETE, IT'S INACCURATE, IT WAS DONE IN A SLOPPY MANNER.
AND WE'RE BEING A ASKED TO APPROVE A DOCUMENT THAT'S INCOMPLETE AND DOES A DISSERVICE TO THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN.
MY RECOMMENDATION IS WE RETURN IT TO THE SENDER AND ASK THEM TO DO A PROPER JOB, RESUBMIT IT WITH THE QUESTIONS ANSWERED, AND WHEN THEY'VE ANSWERED THE QUESTIONS PROPERLY, RESUBMIT IT TO THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION AND THEN WE CAN APPROVE IT IF THE ANSWERS ARE CORRECT AND SATISFACTORY.
BUT UNTIL THEN, I CAN'T FIND MYSELF VOTING TO APPROVE THIS.
SO I WON'T VOTE TO APPROVE THIS FOR THOSE REASONS.
STAFF, WHAT'S THE LIKELIHOOD OF THAT HAPPENING, THAT SCENARIO WITH UM, SO YOU ARE NOT ACTUALLY BEING, HAVEN'T BEEN ASKED TO PROVIDE ANY UPDATES OR, OR RECOMMENDATIONS TO THIS.
UM, SO THERE IS A, A, UM, A, A PROCESS FOR PROVIDING YOUR FEEDBACK, UM, THROUGH THEIR ONLINE, UM, ONLINE INFORMATION.
UM, THAT IS THE WAY THAT IS STANDARD TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK.
SO THAT IS REALLY HOW THAT IS THE CORRECT PROCESS IS THROUGH THE ESTABLISHED, UM, UH, COMMENT PERIOD PROCESS.
I UNDERSTAND THAT HOWEVER, COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN ATTACHED TWO RECOMMENDATIONS THAT HE WANTED TO APPEND TO HIS VOTE TO APPROVE THIS.
CERTAINLY WE CAN VOTE TO MAIL THIS BACK TO THE SENDER WITH A RECOMMENDATION.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE GONNA DO IT, IT JUST MEANS THAT WE ARE MAKING A RECOMMENDATION.
RIGHT? SO I ASSUME THAT IF YOU WERE TO MAKE A MOTION, WHATEVER IT SAYS, THEN SOMEBODY WOULD UPLOAD THAT MOTION TO THAT, THAT WEBSITE AND THEN THAT WOULD BE PART OF THE PUBLIC RECORD, RIGHT? I'M JUST GONNA JUMP IN AND SAY I THINK YOU MAKE A, A NUMBER OF SALIENT AND VERY PERTINENT POINTS.
I AM TRYING TO THINK ABOUT SOME LANGUAGE THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO INCLUDE THAT ADDRESSES SOME OF YOUR CONCERNS.
I MEAN, I THINK THE POINT ABOUT THE BUILDING LOCATION IN EAST AUSTIN IS ESPECIALLY RESONANT FOR ME.
UM, AND ALSO REPLACEMENT PARKLAND, WHICH I THINK COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN SOMEWHAT ADDRESSED.
BUT I'M CURIOUS, UM, ABOUT MAYBE MODIFYING THAT LANGUAGE A LITTLE BIT.
UM, I THINK THE LANGUAGE YOU READ OUT SAID SOMETHING LIKE FIND REPLACEMENT PARKLAND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
AND I'M WONDERING IF WE MIGHT UPDATE IT TO SAY THAT REPLACEMENT PARKLAND BE IDENTIFIED AND SECURED PRIOR TO CONSTRUCTION.
SO THERE'S SOME KIND OF, UM, YOU KNOW, PROMISE TO THE COMMUNITY THAT, THAT THE PARKLAND WILL BE REPLACED IN SOME SENSE.
AND OF COURSE IT'S NOT IN THE SAME LOCATION AND IT, YOU KNOW, IT'S NEVER GONNA BE A ONE-TO-ONE REPLACEMENT.
AND MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING WE COULD PUT IN REPLACEMENT.
PARKLAND WILL BE REPLACED AT A RATIO OF 1.5 TIMES GREATER THAN THE LOSS FROM CONSTRUCTION, FOR EXAMPLE.
I, THAT'S A, YOU KNOW, AND I WOULD SUPPORT THAT.
[00:50:01]
OUT THAT IF YOU HAVE A NEIGHBORHOOD PARK THAT'S ACROSS THE STREET FROM YOU, THAT'S A CITY BLOCKED LARGE AND 30% OF THAT'S BEING CONSUMED MM-HMMTHROUGH THIS CONSTRUCTION, THERE IS NO REPLACEMENT.
YOU KNOW, SO I UNDERSTAND, I MEAN, YOU TALKING ABOUT A LARGE SECTION OF PARK, AND I'M MAKING THIS UP SO I DON'T WANT TO IMPLY THAT THIS IS A HUNDRED PERCENT CORRECT, BUT IF YOU'RE CONSUMING PART OF GUERRERO PARK, YOU CAN SAY, WELL, WE'RE GONNA TAKE ANOTHER IN, WE'RE GONNA EXTEND IT, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER ACRE DOWN THIS DIRECTION.
YOU CAN DO THAT WITH A LARGE PARK PERHAPS.
BUT IF THERE ARE PEOPLE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD WHO RELY UPON THESE NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS THAT HAVE SWING SETS AND PLAYGROUNDS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP COME BY AND CONSUMES 30% OF A NEIGHBORHOOD PARK, THERE'S NO REPLACING THAT.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT SOUNDS GOOD WHEN YOU WRITE IT DOWN ON PAPER, BUT WHEN THE PARK, YOUR KID GOES TO PLAY AT JUST DISAPPEARS UNDER CONCRETE MM-HMM
THERE'S NO REPLACEMENT OF THAT.
I, I UNDERSTAND AND I UNDERSTAND THAT HEARTBREAK THAT I THINK ALL OF US HERE FEEL WHEN WE SEE A GREEN SPACE GET DEVELOPED AND KNOW THAT LIKE, THAT, THAT LAND WILL NEVER BE THE SAME.
AND I THINK THAT'S PART OF THE CHALLENGE THAT WE ALL SIGNED UP FOR IN A SENSE, BEING IN THIS ROOM AND JUST BEING CIVICALLY ENGAGED, IS WE HAVE TO MAKE THOSE HARD DECISIONS OF WHAT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PUBLIC GOOD.
AND LIGHT RAIL, I BELIEVE IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS.
I UNDERSTAND THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE COMMENTING ON SPECIFICALLY RIGHT NOW IS LIKE THE PROS AND CONS OF LIGHT RAIL ITSELF.
BUT IN ORDER TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN, IT, IT WILL COME AT SOME COSTS.
AND I THINK IT'S VALID TO FEEL UPSET IF YOU ARE IN AN AREA THAT'S AFFECTED BY IT.
AND I HOPE THAT ON THE WHOLE, THE, THE PUBLIC GOOD FROM THIS PROJECT IS GOING TO FAR OUTWEIGH ANY LOSSES.
UM, BUT I THINK THIS IS, YEAH, THE, THE CHALLENGE THAT WE ALL HAVE TO CONTEND WITH, AND I THINK IT'S GOOD TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE EXACTLY CERTAIN CENTERS ARE GONNA BE BUILT.
UM, I THINK THOSE ARE ALL VALID POINTS.
AND THEN THERE'S ALSO THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION THAT CERTAIN THINGS WILL HAVE TO HAPPEN IN ORDER TO MAKE THIS PROJECT VIABLE.
SO ONE MORE POINT THAT I LEFT OUT.
ONE OF MY, I REFER TO THEM AS CONSTITUENTS, ALTHOUGH THAT MAY NOT BE CORRECTLY THE RIGHT TERM.
SENT ME AN EMAIL AND SAID THAT, UH, AND I KNOW THIS DRIFTS A BIT ASIDE FROM WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
IF WE TOOK EVERY WRITER THAT IS IN THIS DOCUMENT THAT THEY PROPOSED AND PURCHASED THEM AND THEIR PARTNER TESLA, THE WHOLE THING WOULD BE UNDER BUDGET.
HE ALSO SAID THAT WE WOULD ONLY BE OVER BUDGET BY $750 A PERSON IF WE BOUGHT 'EM A LAMBORGHINI.
SO THE CO THE, THE IMPACT HERE IS SUBSTANTIAL ON THE INDIVIDUALS, ON THE NEIGHBORHOODS, ON THE PARKS, ON THE ENVIRONMENT.
IF WE VOTE TO APPROVE IT, WE'RE VOTING TO IMPROVE A DOCUMENT THAT IS SUBSTANDARD CHAIR.
MAY I ASK MY COLLEAGUE A QUESTION? SURE.
HOW MANY DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS HAVE YOU READ? I ONLY HAVE TO READ THIS ONE 'CAUSE THIS IS THE ONLY ONE WE'RE VOTING ON.
ALRIGHT, WELL I WOULD POINT OUT THAT THERE'S NO MEANS OF COMPARISON OF THIS TO OTHER DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS.
ONE, SECONDLY, TO REBUT WHAT MY COLLEAGUE SAID, THERE ARE SECTIONS IN THIS DOCUMENT THAT ADDRESS ARCHEOLOGICAL, UM, STUDIES ABOUT, UM, AND ALSO HAZARDOUS WASTE.
BUT IN SOME CASES THEY SAY THAT THEY WILL ADDRESS THESE THINGS LATER WHEN THEY HAVE MORE DATA.
'CAUSE THEY HAVEN'T BEGUN CONSTRUCTION YET.
BUT THEY HAVE DONE SURVEYS ALL ALONG THE ROUTE, WHICH IS HOW THEY KNOW THERE ARE POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS WASTE SPOTS ALONG THE ROUTE.
UM, AND I WOULD POINT OUT THAT THE EAST AUSTIN, UM, FACILITY IS IN, IN AN INDUSTRIAL AREA WITH NO SINGLE FAMILY NEIGHBORHOODS NEAR IT.
[00:55:02]
THERE'S LIKE A BARRIER THERE WITH US 180 3 ON THE EAST AND INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS ON THE EAST, ON ON THE WEST WITH THE, UM, PLANNED USE OF THE AREA AT VACANT RIGHT NOW.SO, UM, I THINK PART OF THE RIGHT REASON WHY THIS WAS SELECTED IS BECAUSE IT'S ALREADY ENDING IN AN INDUSTRIAL AREA WITH REGARD TO THE ARCHEOLOGICAL STUDIES THEY'VE ALREADY DONE.
THEY DID WHAT IS CALLED A SHOVEL TEST.
AND IF ANY OF YOU HAVE A SHOVEL AND DUG IT INTO THE GROUND, A SHOVEL MAYBE IS THIS DEEP RIGHT NOW WHEN YOU DO A SHOVEL TEST ALONG LADY BIRD LAKE, WHICH BY THE WAY IS A FLOODPLAIN AND BEFORE THEY BUILT THE DAM, IT WAS REGULARLY FLOODED.
SO THE AMOUNT OF SILT THAT IS BUILT UP ALONG THE SHORE IS PRETTY DEEP.
SO WHEN YOU GO TO DO AN ARCHEOLOGICAL DIG, THE SHOVEL TEST ISN'T GOING TO FIND ANYTHING BECAUSE IT IS BURIED 10 OR 15 FEET DEEPER THAN WHAT A SHOVEL'S GOING TO FIND.
AND ANY ARCHEOLOGICAL STUDY OR ARCHEOLOGY WITH THE GUY THAT DOES ARCHEOLOGY WILL TELL YOU THAT IN THAT TYPE OF AREA, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO DIG DEEPER THAN THAT.
SO SOMEONE WHO DOES A SHOVEL TEST ISN'T TRYING VERY HARD.
OKAY? SO, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU DO A, A TEST BASED ON, WELL, SOMETHING THAT ISN'T GONNA FIND ANYTHING AND YOU DECLARE VICTORY AND THEN YOU MOVE ON.
AND THIS IS WHAT THEY DID IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY MADE A HALF-HEARTED ATTEMPT AT IT AND YEAH, THEY DON'T HAVE A PLAN FOR MOVING THE TOXIC WASTE BECAUSE, WELL, THEY DIDN'T.
SO I'M LOOKING FOR A COMPLETE STUDY.
I'M NOT TERRIBLY INTERESTED IN OTHER DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS FOR OTHER PROJECTS.
'CAUSE WE'RE NOT HERE TALKING ABOUT THOSE MM-HMM
AND THE REPORT ITSELF SAID IT'S WITHIN 20 FEET OF A MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING UNIT AND 180 FEET FROM SINGLE FAMILY HOUSING.
SO THIS IS WHAT THE REPORT ITSELF SAYS, AND IT'S OVER MULTIPLE ACRES.
AND I AGREE IT'S ALREADY ZONED AS LIGHT INDUSTRIAL.
SO THAT'S NOT REALLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
WHAT I'M SAYING IS WE'RE PUTTING A PLACE THAT IS NOW GOING TO HAVE TOXIC WASTE.
YOU CAN DRIVE UP TO THAT PLACE IN DALLAS, ASK FOR A TOUR, WHICH I SCHEDULE.
I CALLED UP, I SAID, I'M A MEMBER OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.
WE'RE LOOKING AT PUTTING IN A LIGHT RAIL MAINTENANCE FACILITY AND I'D LIKE TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT 'CAUSE WE'VE GOT A DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT.
CAN YOU GIVE A TOUR? AND THEY SAID, SURE.
SO I STOPPED ON THE WAY BACK AND I TOOK A TOUR.
THESE PEOPLE COULD HAVE DONE THE SAME THING.
THEY COULD HAVE PHONED UP AND SAID, I'D LIKE A TOUR.
IF THEY DO SHODDY WORK, YOU GET SHODDY RESULTS.
I DID SOMETHING THEY COULD HAVE DONE.
I DID IT FOR FREE BECAUSE I DROVE THROUGH DALLAS.
THIS IS NOT TERRIBLY HARD WORK.
SO THEY DIDN'T DO IT AND I DID.
SO I'M ASKING THEM TO DO THE HARD WORK, DRIVE TO DALLAS, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS, THIS MAINTENANCE FACILITY, SEE HOW THE CITY OF DALLAS STORES TOXIC WASTE, MANAGES THEIR WASTE, DOES THE REPORTING, THE TRACKING AND ALL THAT STUFF, AND INCORPORATE A PLAN THAT IS SIMILAR BUT WORKS FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
WHATEVER THE DIFFERENCES ARE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE.
WE'RE IN A WATERSHED, YOU KNOW, THE CARSON CREEK WATERSHED FIX IT.
WELL, WE COULD SIMPLY SAY DON'T PUT THE MAINTENANCE FACILITY WHERE THEY PLAN TO PUT IT.
THAT DOESN'T ADDRESS THE REST OF THE STUFF.
BUT THEN, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE START.
WELL, I KNOW YOU'RE NOT GONNA VOTE FOR IT.
I'M TRYING TO CONVINCE MY OTHER COLLEAGUES TO VOTE FOR IT.
UM, YEAH, IT'S, IT'S TOUGH NOT HAVING A REPRESENTATIVE FROM A TP HERE, UM, YOU KNOW, TO MAYBE ANSWER SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS, BUT I'M CURIOUS, COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN, DO YOU HAVE ANY INSIGHT ON THE TOXIC WASTE ISSUE THAT COMMISSIONER BREMER'S BRINGING UP OR? I DON'T, I'M NOT AWARE OF HOW MUCH TOXIC WASTE WOULD BE AT THE, AT THE, UH, MAINTENANCE FACILITY OTHER THAN, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU WOULD USUALLY FIND, UM, YOU KNOW, I WORK ACROSS THE STREET FROM WHERE CAPITOL METRO HAS ALL THEIR BUSES PARKED MM-HMM
UM, AND THERE'S A LOT OF TOXIC MATERIAL THERE I'M SURE ALSO.
[01:00:01]
YEAH.UM, SO I DON'T KNOW HOW TO MAKE A COMPARISON MM-HMM
I KNOW WE DON'T HAVE OUR SECRETARY HERE TONIGHT, SO I'M JUST TRYING TO THINK OF LANGUAGE THAT WE COULD MAYBE ADD THAT POINTS TO, TO SOME OF THESE CONCERNS.
UM, IF I MAY ADD A LITTLE CONTEXT, LIZ JOHNSTON, WATERSHED PROTECTION FOR THE MAINTENANCE FACILITY SPECIFICALLY.
UM, JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVE COORDINATED WITH US ON CHOOSING THAT SITE.
SO I KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT.
THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY HAD A NUMBER OF SITES IDENTIFIED THROUGHOUT TOWN THAT, YOU KNOW, WITH THAT WAS, WE'RE BIG ENOUGH, UM, AND WITHIN A CERTAIN DISTANCE FROM THE RAIL LINE.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE HELPED WITH AN ANALYSIS TO SEE WHICH SITES WOULD HAVE THE FEWEST ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTRAINTS AND THAT WOULD HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE LEAST, UM, AT LEAST ENVIRONMENTAL, UH, IMPACTS.
AND SO THIS IS THE SITE THAT WE ALL KIND OF AGREED ON WOULD BE, UM, PREFERRED FOR WATERSHED ANYWAY.
SO JUST A LITTLE MORE CONTEXT THERE.
AND IT'S IN THE AIRPORT COVERAGE ZONE WHERE YOU WOULDN'T WANNA PUT HOUSING OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
THAT'S, IT'S A AIRPORT COMMERCE PARK IS THE, YOU KNOW, NAME OF THE AREA THERE.
IS THERE LIKE A, FOR CERTAIN CHA UH, IS IT, IS IT FOR CERTAIN THAT THEY WOULDN'T PUT HOUSING IN THAT AREA OR YEAH, BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S IN THE, TOO CLOSE TO THE AIRPORT.
I MEAN, THERE'S AN AREA AROUND THE AIRPORT WHERE NO HOUSING IS ALLOWED BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT THE NOISE FROM THE AIRPORT AND, AND IT IS ZONED LIGHT INDUSTRIAL.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE SOMEONE'S GONNA GO OVER THERE AND SAY, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO PUT IN 500 SINGLE FAMILY HOMES.
IT'S UNLIKELY IT'S GONNA BE REZONED FOR ANY SORT OF RESIDENTIAL USE.
SO I THOUGHT ON MAYBE SOME LANGUAGE, UH, TO HELP, UH, THIS DISCUSSION THAT I, I AGREED WITH YOUR SENTIMENT IN GENERAL THAT THE OMS, UH, ASPECT OF IT, THE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE FACILITY, WHATEVER IT'S CALLED, OMF, FELT UNDERSTUDIED OR UNDERREPRESENTED.
I DON'T KNOW IF, UH, THE INFORMATION YOU SAID ABOUT MULTIPLE SCENARIOS AND LOCATIONS MADE IT INTO THE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY.
BUT, UM, YOU MENTIONED THEY DIDN'T HAVE CASE STUDIES.
UM, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW IF CASE STUDIES WOULD BE SHOW UP IN AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY, BUT THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.
AND I'D JUST BE CURIOUS IF THEY DID CONSIDER AND LOOK AT OTHER OMS LOCATIONS.
I'LL SAY PUTTING ON MY CITY PLANNER HAT, I AM A PLANNER BY TRADE, UH, SEEMS TO MAKE SENSE WHERE YOU WOULD CITE IT, UM, GENERALLY.
BUT, UM, ANOTHER SIDE OF ME ALSO SEES THAT THERE'S A LOT OF PAVEMENT ALREADY IN THAT AREA WITH THE BIG HIGHWAY TURNAROUNDS.
UH, ONION CREEK ISN'T TOO FAR AWAY.
THEY DID MOVE NEIGHBORHOODS OUT AFTER IT FLOODED.
I, I KNOW IT'S NOT IN THE IMMEDIATE WATERSHED, BUT, UM, I WAS LOOKING, UH, AT THE DETAILED MAPS AND SURPRISED I COULDN'T FOLLOW THEIR CREEK LINES.
IT JUST FELT VERY HARD TO GET THAT, UM, UH, DETAILED INFORMATION THAT COULDN'T NECESSARILY TRUST THAT THEY DID THE, THE RIGHT WORK.
SO, UH, FOR ME IT FELT, UH, SO I DON'T KNOW HOW WE ASKED THEM TO, TO, TO, UH, IF THEY CONSIDERED OTHER OMS SCENARIOS, ALTERNATIVE, UH, DESIGN BUILD CONCEPTS, UH, IN THE STUDY.
DID THEY ALREADY DO THAT? UM, DOES ANYBODY KNOW? I DON'T THINK THEY DID.
UM, AND, AND, AND JUST NEED MORE EXPL EXPLICIT INFORMATION ON THAT BECAUSE OF ITS, UH, SENSITIVITY OF BUILDING IN EAST AUSTIN.
WE KNOW WHERE THESE TRANSIT CENTERS, UH, TURN, UH, ARE LOCATED.
OFTEN THERE IS BAD PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS FOR THOSE THAT DO LIVE NEARBY.
PEOPLE ALSO ARE GONNA WORK THERE.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE JUST 'CAUSE THEY'RE NOT LIVING THERE, UH, THERE'S LOTS OF COMMERCIAL OFFICES THAT ARE GONNA, UM, YOU KNOW, SPEND A GOOD CHUNK OF THEIR DAY IN THAT AREA.
UM, SO THAT TO ME, THAT SPECIFIC PART OF THE OPERATIONS MAINTENANCE FELT UNDER STUDIED IN THE EIS.
WELL, HOW ABOUT THIS, HOW ABOUT ADDING ANOTHER CONDITION THAT BEFORE MAKING A FINAL DECISION ON THE O-M-F-A-T-P WILL WILL REVIEW, WE REVIEW A OMFS IN OTHER COMMUNITIES AND PRESENT TO THE PUBLIC WHAT OUR OMF WILL LOOK LIKE OR BE LIKE, I LIKE IT 'CAUSE I AGREE.
THOSE ARE SCARY LOOKING FACILITIES IN AN AERIAL MAP.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT, UM, HOW BIG THEY ARE AND, UH, THE FOOTPRINT THEY'RE SHOWING IS, IS LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF PAVEMENT OR IMPERVIOUS COVER.
AND, AND PART OF THE, PART OF THEIR, UM, YOU KNOW, THE ANALYSIS IS WHERE MORE IMPERVIOUS COVER IS ALLOWABLE.
AND SO IN THAT, THAT THERE IS A HIGHER IMPERVIOUS COVER LIMIT IN THAT SPECIFIC AREA, OF COURSE THEY DO NEED TO MEET, UM, CITY OF AUSTIN REGULATIONS.
AND SO ANY ADVERSE, UH, DRAINAGE IMPACTS OR UM, WOULD BE, WOULD NEED TO BE CONTROLLED THROUGH A POND.
AND THEY WOULD ALSO NEED TO PROVIDE ONSITE WATER QUALITY TREATMENT AS ANY OTHER PROJECT WOULD.
SO THERE WOULD BE SOME, UM, AT LEAST FROM THE STORMWATER PERSPECTIVE, SOME MITIGATION, UM, THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED OF THEM.
UM, AND THE LANGUAGE FOR THAT COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO PUT, UM, NOT JUST REVIEW OTHER SITES, BUT
[01:05:01]
ALSO PRESENT THE INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC AS A COMPARISON? RIGHT.AS A COMPARISON ANALYSIS? THAT WAS THE INTENT.
THAT WAS THE INTENT OF WHAT I WAS TRYING TO SAY.
'CAUSE I JUST TYPED THIS REALLY QUICKLY BEFORE MAKING FINAL DECISION ON THE O ON THE, UM, OPERATIONS MAINTENANCE FACILITY, A TP WILL REVIEW O MFS AND OTHER COMMUNITIES AND PRESENT TO THE AUSTIN PUBLIC MM-HMM
WHAT OUR OMF WILL BE LIKE, OR MAYBE HOW OUR OMF WILL COMPARE YEAH.
AND DID YOU WANNA ADD SOMETHING ABOUT MORE DETAILED MAPS TO BE INCLUDED? UH, SO I, I MIGHT HAVE TO DEFER TO THOSE THAT, UH, WENT INTO THE THOUSAND PAGES IN APPENDICES, IF THAT, UH, DOES EXIST.
UM, I DIDN'T SEE A, A PARTICULAR FLOOD MAP SERIES FOR THAT FACILITY.
SO IF IT DOESN'T EXIST, IT WOULD BE NICE IF IT WAS THERE.
UM, I KNOW MY STAFF LOOKED AT IT, BUT I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DIVE INTO THE THOUSAND PAGES YET.
SO, UM, I KNOW WE'VE GIVEN COMMENTS AND I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THOSE COMMENTS ARE, BUT YOU KNOW, IF YOU, IF YOU, IF THAT IS A COMMENT YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE, THEN YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, I THINK CLEARLY, UM, HAVE YOUR DISCRETION MAPS THAT, UH, REPRESENT, UH, THE, THE CREEKS AND THE FLOODS, UH, THE FLOODPLAIN IN THAT AREA WOULD BE HELPFUL.
YEAH, YOU COULD, UH, IF THAT IS A COMMENT THAT YOU WISH TO INCLUDE, I THINK THAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE.
MORE MAPS INDICATING FLOODPLAINS SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL EIS.
UM, AND THEN WHAT DID Y'ALL THINK IN TERMS OF MY SUGGESTED LANGUAGE ABOUT THE REPLACEMENT PARKLAND? UM, OH, UM, OR DO WE WANNA READ YOUR ORIGINAL YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
SHOULD BE IDENTIFIED BEFORE I SAID IDENTIFIED AND SECURED.
BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT THE CITY PROCESS CAN BE ONEROUS AND SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S THE WORD WE WANNA USE, BUT JUST SOMETHING THAT GIVES THE PUBLIC AN ASSURANCE THAT, OR IT SHOULD BE IDENTIFIED AND SECURED WITH PUBLIC INPUT.
PRIOR TO CONSTRUCTION BEFORE CONSTRUCTION AT A RATE OF 1.5 TIMES THE AREA LOST DUE TO THE PROJECT.
THAT SOUND GOOD TO YOU GUYS? OKAY.
SHOULD WE ADD SOMETHING ABOUT THE, UM, TOXIC WASTE MANAGEMENT OR LIKE AN ASSESSMENT OF, UM, OF LIKE, UH, IF THEY CAN GENERATE A PLAN FOR HANDLING THAT, A BETTER, MORE DETAILED PLAN FOR HANDLING TOXIC WASTES SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL EIS MM-HMM
I MEAN, MY VIEW ON THAT IS, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY THE AREA AROUND THE AIRPORT IS LIKE HORRIFICALLY SCREWED ENVIRONMENTALLY WISE, RIGHT? YOU'VE GOT THE AIRPORT, WHICH IN OF ITSELF IS LIKE, YOU KNOW, ALWAYS TERRIBLE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.
YOU'VE GOT THE, UH, JET FUEL EXPANSION RIGHT NOW.
YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THE, UH, YOU KNOW, LIGHT RAIL MAINTENANCE FACILITY, WHICH GRAND IS PROBABLY NOT AS BAD AS JET FUEL.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE MORE VISIBILITY WE GIVE RESIDENTS, UH, WHAT THEY'RE SORT OF GONNA BE UP AGAINST, 'CAUSE WE BASICALLY TOLD 'EM AT THIS POINT, IF YOU LIVE AROUND THERE LONG-TERM, YOU'RE SCREWED.
RIGHT? LIKE, UNLESS YOU'RE A STAYING THERE FOR AN AIRBNB OR LIKE A HOTEL FOR A NIGHT, YOU KNOW, UH, THERE'S A, A VARIETY OF LONG-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS FROM LIVING NEAR AN AIRPORT.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, AS SOMEONE THAT LIVES NEAR THE AIRPORT MYSELF, I THINK GIVING PEOPLE AS MUCH INFORMATION AS THEY CAN, UH, AS WE CAN RATHER, UH, ABOUT SORT OF THE, THE SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM RAMIFICATIONS OF THESE, YOU KNOW, REALLY LARGE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, UH, IS BETTER THAN NOT DOING IT.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I ALSO, UH, AGREE WITH WHAT COMMISSIONER BRIMER SAID IS THAT, YOU KNOW, HE'S DOING THIS BECAUSE, I MEAN, FRANKLY, HE'S GOT A LOT OF FREE TIME AND HE'S GOT THE ABILITY TO, RIGHT.
AND BY THE WAY, YOU TOTALLY NEED TO MAKE A TIKTOK ABOUT ALL THIS STUFF.
'CAUSE IT WAS FASCINATING TO HEAR ABOUT THE PEOPLE OF THE INTERNET'S DEFINITELY MISSING OUT ON THIS.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK STARTING YOUTUBE, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT.
LISTEN MAN, WELL, I'M OLD SCHOOL, OTHERWISE I DO TICK A HOK, RIGHT? LISTEN, IT'S NEVER TOO LATE.
UM, LORD, WHERE WAS I? UH, YEAH, BUT YOU KNOW, I THINK, UH, I THINK, YEAH, I THINK TO, YOU KNOW, ECHO WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAYING.
[01:10:01]
CASE STUDIES, UH, WHETHER IT'S PART OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OR NOT, YOU KNOW, I THINK, YOU KNOW, HAVING A PRESENTATION, EVEN IF IT'S JUST A PRESENTATION FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, LIKE, HEY, WE'VE LOOKED AT, YOU KNOW, OTHER CITIES, THIS IS WHAT THEY'RE DOING.THIS IS THE MODEL THAT WE INTEND TO FOLLOW.
UH, DEFINITELY IS BETTER THAN JUST BEING LIKE, WELL, WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT.
YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THAT JUST OPENS UP THE DOOR FOR A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
LIKE, ARE Y'ALL JUST DOING THE MINIMUM BECAUSE YOU'RE GONNA GET PAID? YOU KNOW? AND ALSO GRANTED, THEY'RE GONNA GET PAID FOR ANY WORK THAT THEY DO AFTERWARDS, RIGHT? THEY ARE NOT DOING THIS OUT OF, UH, THE KINDNESS OF THEIR HEART.
UH, THEY'RE DOING THIS BECAUSE THEY'RE PAID, UH, CONSULTANTS.
SO, YOU KNOW, IN SOME SENSE WE DO HAVE TO HOLD THEIR, UH, FEET TO THE FIRE BECAUSE OTHERWISE THEY'RE JUST GOING TO DO THE MINIMUM EFFORT, ASSUME THAT NO ONE READS IT, UM, AND THEN CONTINUE TO GET PAID.
SO, YOU KNOW, AND ULTIMATELY THE CITY IS GOING TO NOT ONLY PAY THEIR BILLS, BUT ALSO FOLLOW THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS.
SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK DOING DUE DILIGENCE AND HAVING AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE IS, IS ALWAYS, UH, A GOOD PRACTICE TO HAVE.
OKAY, SO LET ME TELL YOU WHAT I HAVE NOW.
UH, WHEREAS THE EEC HAS HAD A BRIEFING ON THE LIGHT RAIL AND A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE DEIS AND WHEREBY A TP HAS OFFERED INDIVIDUALS A CHANCE TO SUBMIT COMMENTS, THEREFORE, THE EEC OFFERS A GENERAL ENDORSEMENT OF THE DEIS WITH THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, REPLACEMENT OF PARKLAND SHOULD BE IDENTIFIED AND SECURED WITH PUBLIC INPUT BEFORE CONSTRUCTION AT A RATE OF ONE AND A HALF TIMES THE LOSS PARKING GARAGES AND ENDPOINTS IN PHASE ONE SHOULD BE BUILT SO AS TO FACILITATE REDEVELOPMENT LATER IF LESS PARKING IS NEEDED.
AFTER RAIL IS EXTENDED BEFORE MAKING A FINAL DECISION ON THE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE FACILITY, A TP WILL REVIEW OMFS AND OTHER COMMUNITIES AND PRESENT TO THE AUSTIN PUBLIC WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE AND WHAT OUR OMF HOW, AND HOW OUR OMF WILL COMPARE, UM, MORE MAPS INDICATING FLOODPLAINS SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL EIS AND A BETTER, MORE DETAILED PLAN FOR HANDLING TOXIC MATERIALS AND REDUCING HUMAN EXPOSURE TO TOXIC, TOXIC WASTES SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL EIS.
JUST THE ONE THING ALSO, UM, SHOULD WE ADD SOMETHING FOR THEM TO NOTIFY THE PEOPLE IN THE AREA IF, LIKE, IF TOXIC WASTE IS FOUND, LIKE MAYBE, UH, LIKE PEOPLE THAT WORK IN THE AREA OR SOME KIND OF, UM, SOMETHING TO NOTIFY THE PEOPLE.
SO A BETTER, MORE DETAILED PLAN FOR HANDLING TOXIC MATERIALS NOTIFYING, UM, NEARBY RESIDENTS.
I, UM, ABOUT THE PRESENCE OF TOXIC MATERIALS AND REDUCING HUMAN EXPOSURE TO TOXIC WASTES SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL, UH, EISI LIKE THAT.
'CAUSE IT, I'M SURE THIS IS WHAT WAS MEANT, BUT I DIDN'T HEAR IT EXACTLY THIS WAY.
YOU'RE REFERRING TO THE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE FACILITY? NO, I'M TALKING ABOUT, UH, THE O THE OPERATIONS MAINTENANCE FACILITY, BUT ALSO WAS IN THE CONSTRUCTION.
THERE'LL BE, UM, PLACES WHERE THEY FIND THINGS THAT ARE BURIED AND, UM, OLD GASOLINE STATIONS WITH UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS THAT WERE FORGOTTEN, THINGS LIKE THAT.
THERE'LL BE OTHER PLACES WHERE THERE'S TOXIC MATERIALS.
UM, WITH REGARD SPECIFICALLY TO THE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE FACILITY, WHICH IS A PERMANENT THING AS OPPOSED TO WHAT YOU JUST REFERRED TO, LIKE GASOLINE STORAGE TANKS AND THAT SORT OF THING.
UH, AND I'M NOT SURE HOW TO PHRASE IT.
I'M, SO I'M GONNA EXPRESS MY INTENT AS OPPOSED TO EXACT WORDING AND LET SOMEONE ELSE DO THE, THE EDITING.
BUT WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AT THE OPERATION MAINTENANCE FACILITY IS A POSTING OF THE TOXIC MATERIALS ON SITE THAT'S PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.
WELL, DON'T THEY HAVE TO DO, DON'T THEY HAVE TO DO THAT WITH THE, WITH THE TRI? I DON'T KNOW.
BUT IF WE PUT IT IN THERE, THEN WE DON'T HAVE, WE DON'T HAVE TO
[01:15:01]
SPECULATE IF THEY HAVE TO DO IT, IF WE SAY THEY SHOULD DO IT.THE, THE TOXIC RELEASE INVENTORY IS A NATIONAL RE UM, LISTING OF TOXIC MATERIALS THAT HAS TO BE PRESENTED WHEN YOU HAVE ANY LAB FACILITY OR MANUFACTURING SHARE THAT STATE.
IT'S STILL GOING TO EXIST FOR THE FEDERAL REGULATIONS LIST THIS, BUT I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO HAVE A NOTIFICATION PLAN SHOULD THERE BE A LEAK THAT GOES OFF SITE.
BECAUSE ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH THE GASOLINE STORAGE FACILITY OVER IN EAST AUSTIN WAS THERE WERE MULTIPLE LEAKS THAT LEFT THE FACILITY BUT WEREN'T REPORTED TO THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN THE IMPACTED AREA.
I THINK WE'VE, UM, HINTED AT THIS IN THE PAST AND IT WAS, UM, SUGGESTED THAT THAT WAS MORE OF A PUBLIC EMERGENCY KIND OF DEAL, UM, FOR THOSE KIND OF INSTANCES.
I THINK IT WAS, UM, WHEN, WHEN THE ITEM THAT ABOUT THE STORAGE, THE JET FUEL TANKS CAME UP AND SOMEONE HAD SUGGESTED, UM, THAT NOTIFYING THE RESIDENTS, LIKE IF SOMETHING COMES UP OR SO, UH, THAT'S POLLUTING AND DANGEROUS TO PEOPLE, AND THEY WERE LIKE, OKAY, WE'RE BLURRING THE LINES OF WHAT WE COULD SUGGEST THAT THEY DO VERSUS WHAT'S THE RESPONSIBILITY OF LIKE, THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND, UM, EMERGENCY RESPONSE, LIKE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, IT WAS KIND OF LIKE THEY WERE SAYING WE WERE KIND OF OVERSTEPPING LIKE THEIR PROCEDURES.
WELL, I THINK TECHNICALLY SPEAKING, THE REASON WE WEREN'T INVOLVED WITH THE AIRPORT FUEL TANKS WAS, AND MAYBE, UH, LIZ KNOWS MORE ABOUT THIS THAN I DO.
YOU NEED TO LOOK MORE AUTHORITATIVE.
NOW WHEN I SAY THAT, UH, THAT THE AIRPORT HAD ITS OWN ENVIRONMENTAL PERSON, AND SO THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING ENVIRONMENTAL JUDGEMENTS AND THEN PRESENTING THEM TO THE AIRPORT COMMISSION, AND THEN THEY MADE THEIR OWN JUDGMENT CALL ON THAT.
AND THAT'S WHY THE AIRPORT'S FUEL STORAGE TANKS DIDN'T COME BEFORE THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.
'CAUSE THEY ESSENTIALLY, THE AIRPORT IS A BIG PUD WITH ITS OWN THING.
IT WAS HANDLED AS AN INTERNAL THING, SO IT DIDN'T COME TO US.
I MEAN, I KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT SPECIFIC THING.
WE DISCUSSED IT POSTMORTEM, BUT WE DIDN'T DISCUSS IT AS PART OF THE APPROVAL PROCESS FOR THAT.
SO I DON'T, DON'T RECALL THAT.
DO YOU HAVE PROPOSED LANGUAGE THAT WOULD COVER THIS CONCERN? WELL, I, I, LET ME, LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT I TELL YOU WHAT I HAVE.
SO I DEFERRED HIS, UH, EDITORIAL EXPERTISE.
SO AGAIN, WHEREAS THE EC HAS HAD BRIEFING ON LIGHT RAIL AND A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE DEIS AND WHEREBY A TP HAS OFFERED INDIVIDUALS A CHANCE TO SUBMIT COMMENTS, THEREFORE, THE EC OFFERS A GENERAL ENDORSEMENT OF THE DEIS WITH THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, REPLACEMENT PARKLAND SHOULD BE IDENTIFIED AND SECURED NEARBY.
THAT'S A NEW WORD I ADDED NEARBY WITH PUBLIC INPUT BEFORE CONSTRUCTION AT A RATE OF ONE AND A HALF TIMES THE LOSS PARKING GARAGES AND ENDPOINTS IN PHASE ONE SHOULD BE BUILT SO AS TO FACILITATE REDEVELOPMENT LATER IF LESS PARKING IS NEEDED AFTER RAIL IS EXTENDED BEFORE MAKING A FINAL DECISION ON THE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE FACILITY, A TP WILL REVIEW OMFS AND OTHER COMMUNITIES AND PRESENT TO THE AUSTIN PUBLIC WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE, HOW OUR OMF WILL COMPARE WITH PARTICULAR CONCERN TO LEAKS, POSTING OF ONSITE STORAGE OF TOXIC MATERIALS AND MONITORING OF AIR AND WATER POLLUTION.
NEXT, A, A BETTER, MORE DETAILED PLAN FOR HANDLING TOXIC MATERIALS, NOTIFYING NEARBY RESIDENTS ABOUT THE PRESENCE OF TOXIC MATERIALS AND REDUCING HUMAN EXPOSURE TO TOXIC WASTES SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL EIS.
AND THEN LASTLY, MORE MAPS INDICATING FLOODPLAINS SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL EIS.
THAT SOUNDS COMPREHENSIVE TO ME.
SAME, UH, ONE SMALL LITTLE AMENDMENT.
UM, CAN WE CHANGE THAT FIRST ONE TO, UH, SAY A MINIMUM OF ONE AND A HALF TIMES OF PARKLAND? BECAUSE I, I THINK WE'RE GONNA, UH, THERE'LL BE INSTANCES WHERE THEY'LL DO A FIVE TIMES MULTIPLIER OR SOMETHING GREATER
[01:20:01]
SAY TWO TIMES.SO AT A RATE OF A MINIMUM, ONE AND A HALF TIMES THE LOSS.
ANY, ANYTHING ELSE? COMMISSIONERS, ARE YOU READY TO VOTE ON IT? LET'S TAKE A VOTE.
ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS TO THE AMENDMENTS THAT WERE ADDED? NO OBJECTIONS.
SO DO Y'ALL WANT TO HEAR THE WHOLE WELL, YOU JUST, YOU WANNA HEAR ONE MORE TIME? YEAH.
MIGHT AS WELL HEAR THE ALRIGHT.
WHERE IT'S NOT NINE O'CLOCK YET.
WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION HAS HAD A BRIEFING ON LIGHT RAIL AND HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT.
AND WHEREAS AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIPS HAS OS HAS OFFERED INDIVIDUALS THE CHANCE TO SUBMIT COMMENTS.
THEREFORE, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION OFFERS A GENERAL ENDORSEMENT OF THE DEIS WITH THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL COMMENTS.
ONE, REPLACEMENT PARKLAND SHOULD BE IDENTIFIED AND SECURED NEARBY WITH PUBLIC INPUT BEFORE CONSTRUCTION AT A RATE OF A MINIMUM 1.5 TIMES THE LOSS OF, OF PARKLAND TWO PARKING GARAGES AT END POINTS IN PHASE ONE SHOULD BE BUILT SO AS TO FACILITATE REDEVELOPMENT LATER IF LESS PARKING IS NEEDED AFTER RAIL IS EXTENDED, MEANING THEY COULD BE CONVERTED INTO APARTMENT BUILDINGS OR SOMETHING.
UH, BEFORE MAKING AN A FINAL DECISION ON THE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE FACILITY, A-T-P-A-T-P WILL REVIEW OMFS AND OTHER COMMUNITIES AND PRESENT TO THE AUSTIN PUBLIC WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE, HOW OUR, UH, OMF WILL COMPARE WITH PARTICULAR CONCERN TO LEAKS.
A POSTING OF ONSITE STORAGE OF TOXIC MATERIALS AND THE MONITORING OF AIR OR WATER POLLUTION, I SHOULD SAY, AND WATER POLLUTION.
A BETTER, MORE DETAILED PLAN FOR HANDLING TOXIC MATERIALS, NOTIFYING NEARBY RESIDENTS ABOUT THE PRESENCE OF TOXIC MATERIALS AND REDUCING HUMAN EXPOSURE TO TOXIC WASTES SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL EIS AND FIVE MORE MAPS INDICATING FLOODPLAINS SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL EIS.
STILL STICKING TO YOUR SECOND? YES.
SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND VOTE ON IT.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE RECOMMENDATION, RAISE YOUR HAND.
WE HAVE FLURRY, KRUGER, BEDFORD, SULLIVAN, NICHOLS, ALL THOSE OPPOSED? WE HAVE BRIER.
WHILE I WAS KIND OF WAITING FOR OH YEAH.
I WAS GONNA RECOMMEND THAT WE POSTPONE OH YEAH, THAT ITEM.
NO, THE, UH, COMMENTS ON THE, ON THE EIS ARE DUE APRIL, UH, MARCH 11TH, SO, OH NO, SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT, UH, MELINDA SHEAR RE OH, OH, I'M SORRY.
UM, BUT YES, UNTIL THERE'S A MEET, WE CAN SEE IF SHE CAN ATTEND THE NEXT MEETING.
NO OBJECTIONS TO OPPOSING, UH, POSTPONING IT.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
SO NEXT STEP WE HAVE FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. I, WELL NO ONE, WELL, YOU KNOW, THE UH, JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE HAS A HOST OF BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS, SO I THINK BRINGING THEM, UH, TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION IN ADVANCE OF WHENEVER THE CRAZY BUDGET SEASON IN WHICH I THINK IS PROBABLY ALREADY HERE.BUT YOU KNOW, MY MIND IS SWAMPED WITH SOUTH BY STUFF, SO EVERYTHING ELSE UNFORTUNATELY GETS KICKED TO THE REAR.
BUT, UH, YEAH, YOU KNOW, UM, DEFINITELY WOULD WANT TO PRESENT, UH, THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS HERE.
WELL I GUESS SECOND IT DOES THAT NEED A SECOND? OKAY.
ANYTHING ELSE? COMMISSIONERS? OKAY.
SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND ADJOURN THIS MEETING.
IT'S BEFORE MY BEDTIME FOR ONCE.
I KNOW, RIGHT? LEMME GET SOME DINNER.