2024-01-28 PWETC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Pollution Control Agency climate planning grant, and if received, the grant would be switched to an equipment voucher. Ms. Bakken explained she served on several framework update groups for the State, including the Met Council Climate Natural Systems Technical Advisory Group and the Heat Pump Market Advisory Committee. She noted that the Heat Pump Market Advisory Committee surveyed contractors to understand barriers to adopting residential heat pumps. She explained she was also part of an electric vehicle charging infrastructure panel through the consulting firm SRF and the Great Plains Institute. The goal is to develop a climate equity advisory group with residents to ensure equitable engagement in the climate planning process. Ms. Bakke explained she planned to assemble a staffwork group to discuss climate action goals and ensure alignment across departments. A community survey will be developed to get feedback on climate change and the work being done. A climate action dashboard will be created on the city's website to show progress on goals and provide links to resources for residents. The dashboard will mirror the focus areas of the State climate framework to align with County and State goals. Chair Ficek thanked Ms. Bakken for the information. He asked her to send the presentation to the Commission so he could review it. Member Mueller indicated she was excited to see the dark skies topic listed because she felt people needed to become aware of the impact of light on circadian biology, wildlife, and everything around them. She thought it was very bright around the entire city and understood the value of the LED lights, but there were also flickers and other impacts to consider, such as how it impacted life forms. She thought it was essential to explore further. Ms. Bakken indicated the city already has some dark sky -compliant policies in place. Still, most of the city's lighting policies address public and commercial lighting, so there is nothing for residential lighting. However, there might be some opportunities in the future. She noted she was also meeting with someone from the U of M to discuss potential student collaborations. Member Fergus explained that the things mentioned were the goal of afifty percent greenhouse gas reduction by 2050 and that Roseville was at thirty-five percent, which seemed great. Still, he wondered if that was for city operations or the city in general. Ms. Bakken explained that most of these reductions come from electricity and energy usage. She thought the city had many opportunities for cuts in transportation and other areas. She indicated she was eager to get into the climate planning process because that goal is a little bit out of date, and they are now lagging behind the State's goals and many neighboring cities' greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. She indicated she would like to re-evaluate that goal, too, but also get more Page 5 of 7