Environment And Infrastructure Committee — Columbia, SC
Date: 2021-10-19
Time: 10:00

COLUMBIA ENVIRONMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE
 MEETING AGENDA
 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2021


The Columbia Environment and Infrastructure Committee will conduct a meeting on Tuesday,
October 19, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at the Busby Street Community Center, 1735 Busby Street,
Columbia, SC 29203. You may view the meeting online at www.columbiasc.gov. For questions
regarding the meeting, please contact the City Clerk’s Office at (803)545-3045 or
cityclerk@columbiasc.gov.

 The Honorable Tameika Isaac Devine, At-Large, Chair
The Honorable Daniel J. Rickenmann, District IV  The Honorable William Brennan, District III

CALL TO ORDER
COMMITTEE DISCUSSION

1. Columbia's Climate Protection Action Committee Quarterly Update - Ms. Mary Pat
 Baldauf, Sustainability Administrator for the Public Works Department and Dr. Lori A.
 Ziolkowski, CPAC Chair

2. Disposal of Grass and Leaf Debris - Mr. Robert Anderson, Public Works Director

ADJOURNMENT




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COLUMBIA ENVIRONMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE
 MEETING AGENDA
 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2021


The Columbia Environment and Infrastructure Committee will conduct a meeting on Tuesday,
October 19, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at the Busby Street Community Center, 1735 Busby Street,
Columbia, SC 29203. You may view the meeting online at www.columbiasc.gov. For questions
regarding the meeting, please contact the City Clerk’s Office at (803)545-3045 or
cityclerk@columbiasc.gov.

 The Honorable Tameika Isaac Devine, At-Large, Chair
The Honorable Daniel J. Rickenmann, District IV  The Honorable William Brennan, District III

CALL TO ORDER
COMMITTEE DISCUSSION

1. Columbia's Climate Protection Action Committee Quarterly Update - Ms. Mary Pat
 Baldauf, Sustainability Administrator for the Public Works Department and Dr. Lori A.
 Ziolkowski, CPAC Chair

2. Disposal of Grass and Leaf Debris - Mr. Robert Anderson, Public Works Director

ADJOURNMENT




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MEETING DATE: October 19, 2021

DEPARTMENT: City Clerk

FROM: Erika Hammond, City Clerk

SUBJECT: Columbia's Climate Protection Action Committee Quarterly
 Update - Ms. Mary Pat Baldauf, Sustainability Administrator
 for the Public Works Department and Dr. Lori A. Ziolkowski,
 CPAC Chair
FUNDING SOURCE &
ORIGINAL BUDGET:

FOCUS AREAS: Innovative & High Quality Municipal Services


ATTACHMENTS:
  CPAC Oct 2021 Update (PDF)




Updated: 10/14/2021 3:43 PM Page 1
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Columbia’s




 Attachment: CPAC Oct 2021 Update (7098 : CPAC Quarterly Update - October 2021)
Climate Protection Action
Committee (CPAC) In this up
 date:
October 2021 update
 - Energy ev
 - Renewableents past + future
 - Conversat cohort update
 - Ready for ion with Dominion
 - Communic100 resolution v 2.0
 ations wit
 hin gover
 nment
 Observat
 ions, nex
 recomme t steps, a
 ndations nd
 .



 Dr. Lori Ziolkowski - chair of CPAC email: loriz@sc.edu

 Prepared for the City of Columbia Environment and Infrastructure committee meeting October 19th, 2021.




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 Attachment: CPAC Oct 2021 Update (7098 : CPAC Quarterly Update - October 2021)
Reduce greenhouse Previously reported
 Adapt to climate change
  gas emissions CPAC efforts


 Change how we Prepare for more
Reduce energy usage
 generate electricity extreme heat


 Work with
Outreach on incentive Help keep more
 Dominion (& PSC)
 and loan programs citizens cool
 to source renewables

 Energy consultant (via
 Energy labelling for Use heat vulnerability to
 Sierra Club) to advise
 real estate & rentals guide tree planting
 on Ready for 100



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 Attachment: CPAC Oct 2021 Update (7098 : CPAC Quarterly Update - October 2021)
Reduce greenhouse
  gas emissions
 Current CPAC efforts Adapt to climate change



 Change how we Prepare for more
Reduce energy usage
 generate electricity extreme heat


 Work with
Outreach on incentive Help keep more
 Dominion (& PSC)
 and loan programs citizens cool
 to source renewables

 Energy consultant (via
 Energy labelling for Use heat vulnerability to
 Sierra Club) to advise
 real estate & rentals guide tree planting
 on Ready for 100



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Latest webinar:




 Attachment: CPAC Oct 2021 Update (7098 : CPAC Quarterly Update - October 2021)




Next (mid-Dec): how climate change factors into faith communities




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From the CPAC April 2021 presentation:




 Attachment: CPAC Oct 2021 Update (7098 : CPAC Quarterly Update - October 2021)




Since May 2021, local organizations have been working on this.



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 Renewable aggregate cohort




 Attachment: CPAC Oct 2021 Update (7098 : CPAC Quarterly Update - October 2021)
 Current participants: Goals:
 - city of Columbia - build large (~100MW) solar facility in the midlands
 - University of South Carolina - 5 to 25% of each organizations power requirements
 - Richland One - negotiate this deal with Dominion as a cohort
 - Columbia Housing - price neutrality, reliability, equity
 - Richland County
Progress:
- Dominion is open to this custom deal
- Cohort strengthens relationships between midlands organizations
  - Useful for future procurement?
-
Limitations:
- Price implications currently unclear
- At present, this option only available participant organizations (not the citizens)…



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 Attachment: CPAC Oct 2021 Update (7098 : CPAC Quarterly Update - October 2021)
Ready for 100 Resolution
2017 - Mayor Benjamin committed the city to 100% renewable power for the community by 2036

To date, little detailed work on how we are going to achieve this goal.




Ready for 100 Resolution v2.0
CPAC is currently drafting on a revised Ready for 100 resolution for the city that is two separate resolutions

1) City operations focused resolutions that encompasses energy savings, and powers as well as o ers
 their annual electrical usage with solar.

2) Mechanisms for how the city can partner with 3rd parties to make energy e ciency and solar accessible
 to the broader community

These resolutions will come with interim goals to help prioritize e orts.

Expect CPAC to present these revised resolutions to council in 2022.




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Dominion visit with CPAC




 Attachment: CPAC Oct 2021 Update (7098 : CPAC Quarterly Update - October 2021)
Danny Kassis VP Customer Relations and Renewables
Tues Oct 5th, 2021

-Brief overview of Dominion’s plans and recommendations
 - They are cautious to roll out solar too quickly
 - No current large scale plans for wind
 - Will retire or convert remaining coal generation over next decade
 - Biogas may be important for balancing the load
 - Their carbon neutral goals are 2050, which is much slower than the city
Opportunities:
 • Energy e ciency rst priority to lower long term electricity costs
 • Cohort aggregate is a workable model, may enable community solar
 • Electri cation for eet and transit is viewed as “bene cial electri cation”
 • Planning for EV infrastructure
 • Study what time of use rates would mean for both city operations and residents’ meters & bills
 • Large interconnection queue: Columbia could engage at PSC to help with interconnection reform
Limitations:
 • Dominion says that Act 62 is what is limiting community solar due to cost shift. That was not the intention of the
 law. Can we lobby for an updated law?
 • Dominion suggested we focus on transportation rst, without considering how energy is generated
 • We want renewables faster than Dominion wants to roll them out. Will require us advocating for ourselves.




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 Attachment: CPAC Oct 2021 Update (7098 : CPAC Quarterly Update - October 2021)
 Claire Windsor report to CPAC

 Presentation found on CPAC website
https://www.columbiasc.net/depts/cpac/CPAC%20Presentation.pdf




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 Attachment: CPAC Oct 2021 Update (7098 : CPAC Quarterly Update - October 2021)
Reduce greenhouse
  gas emissions
 Current CPAC efforts Adapt to climate change



 Change how we Prepare for more
Reduce energy usage
 generate electricity extreme heat


 Work with
Outreach on incentive Help keep more
 Dominion (& PSC)
 and loan programs citizens cool
 to source renewables

 Energy consultant (via
 Energy labelling for Use heat vulnerability to
 Sierra Club) to advise
 real estate & rentals guide tree planting
 on Ready for 100



 Packet Pg. 12
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 Attachment: CPAC Oct 2021 Update (7098 : CPAC Quarterly Update - October 2021)
 Reduce greenhouse Potential future city wide efforts Adapt to climate
 gas emissions change
 This is m
 ore than
 committe a
 e e ort.

Reduce energy Electricity Build Prepare for
 awarenes ing climate
 Transportation s into depar
 usage generation across th
 e city is n more extremes
 tments
 eeded.


  Outreach City sources Keep citizens
 City eet to EV
  programs renewables cool

Rental energy Ready for 100 EV charging
 Trees + heat
  labelling v2.0 network?

 Energy Community EV COMET? More ooding?
 ef ciency? solar? Bike lanes



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Next steps:
- Formation of CPAC subcommittee on communications Questions?




 Attachment: CPAC Oct 2021 Update (7098 : CPAC Quarterly Update - October 2021)
- Continued communication with State Energy O ce
 - potential funding Comments?
 - greenbank scoping
- CPAC report to city on renewables in franchise agreements (mid Nov)
- Renewable aggregate cohort: continue learning and de ning goals

Administrative: CPAC leadership election in January


Observations:
- CPAC has ambitious and passionate volunteers. Current guidance from the city on how we can best help is limited
- Currently, the city has limited sta dedicated to helping with this issue, limits ability to focus on new opportunities
- Current legal framework in SC limits choices for citizens and small businesses.
- City is not currently advocating for helping citizens achieve Ready for 100 goals at either the state house or PSC

Recommendations:
- Council & city management empower and charge more sta to work on climate change e orts
 - Greater continuity of e orts if led by sta , and not just volunteer committees
 - Need more sta up to speed on the technical, nancial, and future looking aspects
- Political courage needed from council
 - Ready for 100 was intended to be community wide. Currently, limited mechanisms to do that. Lobbying will be required
 - Dominion said Act 62 (Energy Freedom Act) was a limitation for them helping customers more. Can we help update Act 62?

 loriz@sc.edu



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MEETING DATE: October 19, 2021

DEPARTMENT: City Clerk

FROM: Erika Hammond, City Clerk

SUBJECT: Disposal of Grass and Leaf Debris - Mr. Robert Anderson,
 Public Works Director
FUNDING SOURCE &
ORIGINAL BUDGET:




Updated: 10/14/2021 3:59 PM Page 1
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