[Resilience Committee on May 7, 2024.]
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OKAY, GOOD MORNING AGAIN.WELCOME TO THE, UH, OUR FIRST COMMITTEE MEETING ON, UH, OUR RESILIENCE COMMITTEE.
IT'S A NEW COMMITTEE, UH, RECENTLY FORMED.
UM, WE DO NOT HAVE A QUORUM THIS MORNING, BUT WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED WITH THE PRESENTATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE VIEWING AND THOSE WHO ARE, ARE, UH, PRESENT.
UM, UM, AND WE'LL JUST PROCESS AS, PROCEED AS NORMAL AND JUST TAKE IT, I'M SURE ONE OF THE OTHER, UH, UH, COMMITTEE MEMBERS WILL BE SHOWING UP.
UM, WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A MINUTE TO, UH, THANK AND WELCOME THOSE HERE, VICE CHAIR, UM, ABBY CAYMAN, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN WITH DISTRICT C.
UM, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND YOUR, YOUR, UH, GUIDANCE, UH, AS A, AS A, UH, UM, PREVIOUS COUNCIL MEMBER.
I KNOW YOU HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE, SO I'LL, I'LL LEAN ON YOU AS NEEDED.
AND, AND WE'LL WORK ON THIS TOGETHER.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND ATTENDANCE.
COUNCIL MEMBER TASHA JACKSON AT DISTRICT B, AND WE'VE GOT, OH, I'M HERE.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE REPRESENTATION FROM, UM, MAYOR PRO TEM, DISTRICT K, UH, VICE MAYOR, PRO TEM, UH, DISTRICT A.
UM, WHO DO WE HAVE? WE'VE GOT, UH, FROM COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER AT LARGE FOUR.
COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO, DISTRICT H, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN AT LARGE FIVE.
UM, WHAT DO WE'VE GOT COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ AT LARGE ONE.
AND THEN WHO DID I MISS? MARTINEZ.
HOW COULD I MISS MY FRIEND? MARTINEZ, COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ.
SO, UM, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE, TAKING THE TIME TO, UH, TO COME OUT TODAY AND, AND HAVE YOUR VOICES HEARD, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE PRESENTATION, UM, FOR OUR, UH, OUR COMMITTEE.
UM, JUST TO TOUCH BRIEFLY BEFORE WE, UM, BEFORE WE GET STARTED ON, ON THE PRESENTATION, AS YOU ALL HAVE HEARD, UH, HOUSTON RECENTLY RECEIVED A $2 MILLION GRANT, UM, UH, FOR FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.
AND THAT'S TO, UH, REALLY THE FUNDING IS TO CONDUCT IN, IN, IN INDUSTRY AUDITS TO CONDUCT THE, UH, AUDITS AT THE MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS AND RETROFIT FOR SOLAR POWER SOLAR PANELS.
UM, WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT AND LEARN MORE BECAUSE CERTAINLY, UH, THAT FUNDING IS GREAT.
THE GRANT IS GREAT, BUT CERTAINLY THERE WILL BE NEED, THERE WILL NEED TO BE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IN PLACE TO EXECUTE THAT.
UH, I ALWAYS LIKE TO SAY WITH WITHOUT A PLAN, A GOAL IS JUST A DREAM.
SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO, TO LEARNING THE PLAN ON THAT, UM, AND MORE ABOUT THAT LATER.
SO I THINK WE CAN GO AHEAD AND, AND START THE PRESENTATION.
UM, SO I'D LIKE TO WELCOME, UH, NICHOLAS, HAD YOU, GEORGE, SAY THAT CORRECTLY.
UM, WHO IS THE, UH, INTERIM DIRECTOR FOR THE, UH, RESILIENT, THE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY, UM, DEPARTMENT FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WHICH FALLS UNDER A RA, SEE, I'M LEARNING ALDIS, A-R-A-A-B-A-A-R-A, THE ADMINISTRATION, ADMINISTRATION AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS.
SO, WELCOME SIR, AND WE'RE READY TO START THE PRESENTATION AS SOON AS YOU ARE.
GOOD MORNING, COMMITTEE CHAIR CARTER, VICE CHAIR CAYMAN, UH, AND COMMITTEE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF.
THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME TO PRESENT TODAY.
MY NAME IS NICK HODGE GEORGE, AND I'M THE INTERIM CHIEF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS.
UH, TODAY I WILL PRESENT AN OVERVIEW OF OUR OFFICE AND THE PROGRESS WE'VE MADE OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS IN IMPLEMENTING THE CITY'S CLIMATE ACTION AND RESILIENT HOUSTON PLANS.
FIRST, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR OFFICE NEXT SLIDE.
THE A RA RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE LEADS AND SUPPORTS PROJECTS TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND PROMOTE RESILIENCE FOR THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF HOUSTONIANS AND THE FINANCIAL BETTERMENT OF CITY GOVERNMENT AND THE COMMUNITY.
THE DUTIES OF OUR OFFICE ARE OUTLINED IN THE CODE OF ORDINANCES, WHICH CREATES THE SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE AND CHARGES US WITH CREATING AND MAINTAINING A CLIMATE ACTION PLAN OR CAP.
THE OVERALL GOAL OF THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN IS FOR THE HOUSTON COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS TO NET ZERO BY 2050.
WE ARE REQUIRED TO REPORT ANNUALLY ON THE PROGRESS OF THIS PLAN, AS WELL AS COMPLETE AN UPDATE OF THE PLAN EVERY FIVE
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YEARS.TODAY'S PRESENTATION SERVES AS THAT UPDATE, ALONG WITH THE FOUR YEAR REPORT DOCUMENT THAT WE WILL PUBLISH SHORTLY.
THE RESILIENCE FUNCTIONS OF OUR OFFICE ARE, UH, SET FORTH IN THE EXECUTIVE ORDER, ONE DASH 66, WHICH DESCRIBES THE RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN AND THE WAY THAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE IMPLEMENTED, UH, ACROSS THE CITY GOVERNMENT.
SO BOTH PLANS CONTAIN TARGETS GOALS AND ACTIONS THAT COVER A WIDE RANGE OF TOPICS AND PROJECTS THAT THE CITY AND THE COMMUNITY ARE TO WORK ON AND COMPLETE OVER THE COMING YEARS.
SOME OF THE TYPES OF PROJECTS INCLUDE POLICIES, ORDINANCES, INCENTIVES, EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGNS, INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, REPORTS, EVENTS, AND OTHER ACTIVITIES.
AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THE OVERALL GOAL OF THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN IS TO REDUCE OR OFFSET COMMUNITY-WIDE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS TO 0% OF THE 2014 BASELINE BY THE YEAR 2050.
AND THE OVERALL GOAL OF THE RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN IS TO PROTECT HOUSTON AGAINST FUTURE DISASTERS FROM HURRICANES TO EXTREME HEAT WAVES AND CHRONIC STRESSES SUCH AS AGING INFRASTRUCTURE, POOR AIR QUALITY, AND FLOODING.
WE'VE CREATED THESE PLANS TO HELP SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS AND TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE FOR THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY TO FACILITATE THE, NO, I'M SORRY.
THE CHART ON THE LEFT SHOWS THAT HOUSTON IS FACING A GREATER FREQUENCY OF NATURAL DISASTERS AS OUR POPULATION INCREASES, AND THE CHART ON THE RIGHT SHOWS THAT OUR TRANSPORTATION AND ENERGY CONSUMPTION ARE THE TWO LARGEST CONTRIBUTORS TO OUR GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
THAT BOTH OF THESE PLANS WERE CREATED IN COLLABORATION WITH EXPERTS IN CLIMATE ACTION AND RESILIENCE BEST PRACTICES LIKE THE HOUSTON ADVANCED RESEARCH CENTER, ALONG WITH COMMUNITY-LED WORKING GROUPS THAT ALLOWED FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.
WE INCORPORATED FEEDBACK FROM MANY STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS MULTIPLE SECTORS WHEN DEVELOPING THESE PLANS.
THESE INCLUDED PARTNERS LIKE AIRLINES, HOUSTON, GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP, THE BUILDING OFFICE MANAGERS ASSOCIATION, AND THE TEXAS OIL AND GAS ASSOCIATION, AND THE HOUSTON CLIMATE MOVEMENT.
AND WE ALSO RECEIVED GENEROUS FUNDING FROM CORPORATE AND NONPROFIT PARTNERS TO DEVELOP THESE PLANS AND TO IMPLEMENT PROJECTS.
THESE INCLUDE BP, SHELL, CENTERPOINT, RESILIENT CITIES, CATALYST AND MORE.
AND ON THIS SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE A LIST OF SOME OF THE PARTNERS THAT WE'VE WORKED WITH AND THAT HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THESE PLANS, AND THERE'S COUNTLESS OTHERS THAT HAVE ALSO BEEN INVOLVED IN CAN'T FIT 'EM ALL ON ONE SLIDE.
THIS SLIDE JUST SHOWS A SAMPLE OF SOME OF THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN AND RESILIENCE PROJECTS THAT OUR OFFICE AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS ARE WORKING ON TO IMPLEMENT THE PLANS.
I WANNA HIGHLIGHT TWO OF THESE PLANS, TWO OF THESE PROJECTS FOR US TODAY.
NOW, ONE OF THEM IS THE PROPERTY ASSESSED CLEAN ENERGY PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES TO ACCESS ATTRACTIVE FINANCING OPTIONS FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY UPGRADES.
ANOTHER, UH, IMPORTANT PROJECT WE'RE WORKING ON IS TO INSTALL ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS AT PUBLIC FACING CITY FACILITIES LIKE LIBRARIES AND COMMUNITY CENTERS.
THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE, UH, COMPLETION STATUS OF THE ACTIONS IN EACH PLAN.
FOR RESILIENT HOUSTON, WE HAVE STARTED OR COMPLETED 86%, AND FOR THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, WE HAVE STARTED OR COMPLETED 75%.
UH, IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT SOME OF THE PLAN ACTIONS ARE DESIGNED TO BE PERPETUAL ACTIVITIES, SO WE'LL NEVER REACH COMPLETION ON SOME OF THESE.
UM, AND IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT CHECKING OFF EVERY BOX IN A PLAN WILL NOT BRING US TO NET ZERO EMISSIONS OR SOLVE OUR RESILIENCE CHALLENGES.
THE PLANS ARE LIVING DOCUMENTS THAT REQUIRE PERIODIC UPDATES, SO WE CAN INCORPORATE LESSONS LEARNED AND PIVOT TO MEET CURRENT CHALLENGES.
IF WE IMPLEMENT AS MUCH AS WE CAN TOWARD OUR 2030 AND 2040 TARGETS, WE'LL BE IN GOOD SHAPE TO MEET THE 2050 GOALS.
AND AS WE HEAD INTO OUR YEAR FIVE AND BEGIN THE UPDATE PROCESS, UH, I'M GONNA SHOW SOME SLIDES THAT WILL, UH, SHOW YOU THE PROGRESS WE'VE MADE OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS, AND WE'LL HELP SET THE STAGE FOR FUTURE DISCUSSIONS TO UPDATE, AMEND, AND IMPROVE THE PLANS.
SO, I, I WILL BEGIN WITH THE UPDATES FOR THE RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN, AND THERE ARE 30 TARGETS ACROSS BOTH OF THESE PLANS.
I'M ONLY GONNA HIGHLIGHT, UH, A SUBSET OF THEM BECAUSE THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH TIME HERE TODAY.
AND, UH, THE ONES THAT WE'RE HIGHLIGHTING ARE THE ONES THAT HAVE SIGNIFICANT UPDATES OR MILESTONES THAT HAVE BEEN MET.
SO TARGET ONE CALLS FOR PROVIDING RESILIENCE TRAINING TO 500,000 HOUSTONIANS BY 2025.
WE ARE PARTNERED WITH THE HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, AND WE ARE AT 40% AS OF THIS REPORT.
TARGET TWO CALLS FOR OFFERING 20,000 HIGHER HOUSTON YOUTH SUMMER JOBS, UH, WHICH WE'RE HAPPY TO REPORT IS COMPLETE AS OF 2023.
AND THE PROGRAM HAS OFFERED 39,000 JOBS.
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UH, THIS IS LED BY THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF EDUCATION AND YOUTH ENGAGEMENT.THIS TARGET CALLS FOR DEVELOPING 50 NEIGHBORHOOD PLANS BY 2030.
WE ADDED THREE NEW PLANS IN 2023, BRINGING US TO 34% COMPLETION.
THIS IS LED BY THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
TARGET FIVE CALLS FOR INVESTING $5 MILLION IN LOCAL ARTISTS TO CREATE RESILIENCE AWARENESS PROJECTS.
THIS WAS COMPLETED IN 2021, BUT IN 2023, WE ALLOCATED ANOTHER $5 MILLION THROUGH FEDERAL FUNDS.
SO WE DOUBLED UP ON THAT GOAL.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE TARGET SIX CALLS FOR PLANTING 4.6 MILLION NEW TREES BY 2030.
WE RELY ON OUR PARTNERS ACROSS THE CITY TO REPORT THESE TREE PLANTING NUMBERS AND THE COMMITMENTS TO PLANT THE TREES ARE VOLUNTARY, BUT THIS YEAR WE, UH, IN, IN COORDINATION WITH 10 PARTNERS, WE TRACKED 245,000 NEW TREES PLANTED IN 2023, WHICH BRINGS US TO 36% TOWARDS OUR GOAL.
AND I, I'D ALSO LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT THE CITY'S TREE PLANTING PORTAL, WHICH IS AVAILABLE FOR ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO REPORT THE TREES THEY PLANT.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE TARGET SEVEN CALLS FOR 375 NEW HOMES BY 2050, AND WE ARE CURRENTLY AT 14% OF THE TARGET.
AND THEN TARGET NINE CALLS FOR 500 MILES OF TRAILS AND BIKE LANES BY 2025, WHICH IS 86% COMPLETE.
TARGET 11 CALLS FOR 100 NEW GREEN STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS BY 2025.
AS OF THIS YEAR, WE HAVE COMPLETED THE TARGET AND THE TOTAL IS NOW 111.
PLEASE TARGET 15 CALLS FOR 100% OF HOUSTON TO HAVE ACCESS TO HIGH FREQUENCY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION CHOICES WITHIN A HALF MILE.
THIS TARGET IS CURRENTLY AT 49%.
TARGET 16 CALLS FOR CONSERVING 24% OF OUR UNDERDEVELOPED LAND AS NATURAL SPACE BY 2040.
WE ARE 66% COMPLETE ON THIS TARGET, WHICH IS LED BY OUR PARTNER HOUSTON WILDERNESS.
TARGET 17 CALLS FOR 100% OF HOUSTONIANS TO HAVE ACCESS TO REAL TIME EMERGENCY ALERTING INFORMATION BY 2030.
THIS IS MEASURED BY THE NUMBER OF ALERT HOUSTON SUBSCRIBERS, AND WE ARE 12% TOWARD THIS GOAL.
AND THESE, UH, THIS IS THE CONCLUSION OF THE RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN UPDATES.
NEXT, I'LL DISCUSS THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN TARGETS.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE TARGET ONE CALLS FOR CONVERTING OUR NON-EMERGENCY LIGHT DUTY MUNICIPAL FLEET TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
WE'RE CURRENTLY AT 4% TOWARD THIS GOAL, WHICH EQUALS 132 ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
TARGET TWO CALLS FOR REDUCING VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED BY 20%.
WE ARE WORKING ON GETTING THE NEW NUMBERS FOR THIS, UH, LAST YEAR, AND THEY WILL BE OUT.
THE NEXT TARGET CALLS FOR PRODUCING 5 MILLION MEGAWATT HOURS OF SOLAR ENERGY PER YEAR BY 2050.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE 105 MEGAWATTS OF INSTALLED SOLAR CAPACITY IN HOUSTON, AND WE ESTIMATE THAT WE PRODUCED 149,000 MEGAWATT HOURS IN 2023.
THIS IS ABOUT 3% TOWARD OUR 2050 GOAL.
THE RECENTLY AWARDED SOLAR FOR ALL GRANT.
FEDERAL GRANT WILL BE A MASSIVE HELP TOWARD ACHIEVING THIS GOAL AND PROVIDING LOW INCOME CUSTOMERS WITH MORE AFFORDABLE ELECTRICITY.
TARGET FIVE CALLS FOR INCUBATING 52 ENERGY 2.0 COMPANIES.
WE ACCOMPLISHED THIS LAST YEAR, AND NOW WE ARE AT 148 COMPANIES TOTAL.
THIS, UH, TARGET REFLECTS THE WORK OF OUR PARTNERS AT GREENTOWN LABS.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE TARGET SEVEN CALLS FOR ADOPTING THE 2021 MODEL BUILDING CODE, WHICH THE CITY ADOPTED THIS JANUARY.
SO NOW THIS TARGET'S COMPLETE AND TARGET EIGHT CALLS FOR DOUBLING THE NUMBER OF PROPERTY ASSESSED CLEAN ENERGY PROJECTS.
WE MET THIS GOAL IN 2021, BUT WE CONTINUE WORKING WITH PACE TO HIGHLIGHT THE PROGRAM AND ENCOURAGE AS MANY BUILDING OWNERS AS POSSIBLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS PROGRAM.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE TARGET 10 CALLS FOR REDUCING RESIDENTIAL WASTE 50% BY 2040.
WE ARE CURRENTLY AT 8% LOWER THAN THE 2020 BASELINE, AND TARGET 11 CALLS FOR CONVERTING THE SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT'S HEAVY DUTY FLEET TO LOW EMISSION VEHICLES.
WE CURRENTLY DON'T HAVE ANY EVS OR HYBRIDS IN THE SOLID WASTE FLEET, BUT THEY HAVE COMPLETELY TRANSITIONED TO LOW SULFUR DIESEL FUEL.
AND THAT CONCLUDES MY OVERVIEW OF THE RESILIENT HOUSTON AND CLIMATE ACTION PLAN UPDATES.
STARTING THIS SUMMER, WE ARE PLANNING TO BEGIN THE UPDATE PROCESS FOR THE TWO PLANS, WHICH WILL INCLUDE CONSOLIDATION, UPDATING THE MODELING, UPDATING, AND REVISING THE GOALS, UPDATING AND REVISING THE ACTIONS.
UH, WE'RE GOING TO DO A, A BRAND NEW GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS INVENTORY TO SEE HOW, UH, OUR PROGRESS HAS BEEN GOING ON THAT FRONT.
AND WE'RE ALSO OPENING UP NEW COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES, AND WE'LL ALSO BE INCLUDING NEW COST BENEFIT ANALYSES
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FOR ALL THE ACTIONS.AND BEFORE I CONCLUDE, I'D LIKE TO THANK OUR DIRECTOR, TINA PEZ, AND TO THE STAFF IN OUR OFFICE WHO ARE DOING, WHO ARE WORKING ON EVERYTHING THAT YOU JUST HEARD ABOUT TODAY.
UM, AND ALSO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TO YOU, AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE AT THIS TIME, UH, VICE MAYOR PRO TIM AMY PECK FROM DISTRICT A HAS ARRIVED, AND, UH, REPRESENTATION FROM COUNCIL MEMBER DISTRICT E FRED ER'S OFFICE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, YOU'RE IN THE QUEUE FOR A QUESTION.
AND, UH, NICK, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
ONE, UM, FOR THE NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS OR THE PUBLIC THAT MAY JUST BE LEARNING ABOUT THE HISTORY, AND AGAIN, UH, WE'RE TALKING, LOOKING FORWARD.
I KNOW IN THE APPENDIX, UH, CHAIR, WE HAVE A HISTORY OF HOW ALL OF THIS HAS COME ABOUT GOING, STARTING WITH, UH, MAYOR BROWN, MAYOR WHITE, MAYOR PARKER, MAYOR TURNER, AND NOW MAYOR WHITMEYER.
UH, SO THIS IS A LONGSTANDING EFFORT, AND I REALLY WANT TO COMMEND THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE THUS FAR, I BELIEVE.
AND IF YOU CAN, FIRST, UH, CHAIR, I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, BUT, UH, NICK, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE ONE IMPORTANCE OF THE CLIMATE ACTION AND RESILIENT PLANS? UH, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING, BUT I COULD BE WRONG.
HOUSTON WAS ONE OF THE FIRST MAJOR CITIES, UH, NOT TO START THE WORK, BUT TO ACTUALLY PRODUCE IT VERY EARLY ON.
SO A LOT OF OTHER MAJOR CITIES ARE JUST NOW UNDERTAKING THIS.
UH, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT? RIGHT.
SO, UH, I THINK THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN STARTED, UH, WELL, VARIOUS FORMS OF IT HAVE BEEN IN THE WORKS, UH, OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS AND DECADES.
BUT, UM, IT WASN'T UNTIL 20 18, 20 19 THAT WE, THAT WE STARTED, UH, LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN TAKE THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN FROM A MUNICIPAL OPERATIONS FOCUS INTO A COMMUNITY-WIDE FOCUS.
AND, UM, THAT'S, WE WERE ONE OF THE FIRST CITIES TO DO THAT.
A LOT OF OTHER CITIES WERE DOING IT AROUND THE SAME TIME, BUT WE, UH, WE'RE ALONG WITH EVERYONE FOR THAT RIDE.
AND, UH, IN 2020 LAUNCHED OUR COMMUNITY-WIDE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, UH, OR GREENHOUSE, I'M SORRY, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, RIGHT ON THE HEELS OF COVID.
AND, UM, WE'VE BEEN IMPLEMENTING IT EVER SINCE.
AND THIS ISN'T JUST A FEEL GOOD PRACTICE, RIGHT? IT, THIS IS, UH, CHAIR, I THINK YOU RECOGNIZED, YOU KNOW, THE FLOODING THAT WE JUST SAW IN KINGWOOD IN NORTHWEST HARRIS COUNTY, WE HAD SIX FEDERALLY DECLARED DISASTERS IN, UH, SORRY, SEVEN FEDERALLY DECLARED DISASTERS.
IN SIX YEARS, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SEE EXTREME WEATHER, AND EVEN WHEN IT'S NOT A DECLARED DISASTER, SUMMERS ARE GETTING HOTTER.
UH, AND THAT'S WHERE THE TREES AND, YOU KNOW, COMBATING URBAN HEAT ISLAND TAKE HOLD.
UH, THERE'S THINGS IN HERE THAT GO DIRECTLY TO NOT ONLY THE QUALITY OF LIFE, BUT THE SAFETY FOR HOUSTON AND ITS RESIDENTS.
AS YOU, YOU SAID Y'ALL ARE GOING TO BE UPDATING, UH, THIS PLAN OVER THE SUMMER.
IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IN THAT UPDATE TO KNOW IF WE ARE LOWERING ANY OF THE STANDARDS OR OBJECTIVES WITHIN THAT.
UH, SO NOT JUST PRESENTING THE NEW CONSOLIDATED PLAN, BUT WHAT HAS ACTUALLY CHANGED WITHIN IT, IF WE ARE LOWERING ANY OF THOSE OBJECTIONS OR DROPPING ANY OF THOSE OBJECTIONS, UH, OBJECTIVES.
UH, GOING BACK TO, UH, CHARGING FACILITIES, I KNOW THAT'S ONE OF THE OBJECTIVES.
ARE WE STILL WORKING WITH EVOLV AND PARTNERING ON THAT? YES.
THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS A MEMBER, UH, A BOARD MEMBER OF E EVOLVE HOUSTON, AND WE ARE WORKING WITH THEM ON LOTS OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE UH, PROGRAMS. UM, THIS CURRENT, UH, ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING PROGRAM THAT I MENTIONED, UH, IN THE PRESENTATION IS, UM, IT DOES RELY ON FEDERAL DOLLARS TO FUND, UH, AND WE ARE TARGETING, UH, THE INSTALLATION OF CHARGERS IN PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY WHERE WE CURRENTLY DON'T SEE THEM, UH, SO MUCH.
I KNOW THAT THAT FEDERAL GRANT APPLICATION HAS BEEN SUBMITTED.
UM, HAVE WE BEEN LOOKING, BECAUSE AGAIN, I BELIEVE SEVERAL ADMINISTRATIONS AGO WE ACTUALLY HAD SOME ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGERS.
THEY'RE DECOMMISSIONED, INCLUDING ONE RIGHT IN THE PAR OUT IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE ANNEX.
THERE'S A FEW AROUND THE CITY.
HAVE WE LOOKED AT REU, REUSING THOSE, UM, AND JUMP STARTING THOSE WHILE WE WAIT ON FEDERAL GRANTS, WHICH CAN TAKE A LONG TIME.
SO, SO THAT WORK IS, UH, SORT OF COMBINED WITH THE LARGER GOAL TO, UH, INSTALL CHARGERS AT CITY OF HOUSTON PUBLIC FACING FACILITIES.
UM, SO WE ARE EXPLORING WHAT A NEW, UH, VERSION OF THAT PROGRAM WOULD LOOK LIKE.
IT'S, IT'S, WE'RE ACTIVELY PURSUING, UH,
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OPTIONS FOR THAT.ON PAGE 18, OR SLIDE 18, EXCUSE ME, RELATED TO SOLAR, IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS STAGNANT FROM 2022 TO 2023, IS THAT CORRECT? RIGHT.
IT DOES THAT INCLUDE, UH, AGAIN, FOR THOSE THAT MAY NOT KNOW, WE ARE BUILDING THE LARGEST URBAN SOLAR FARM IN NORTH AMERICA THAT'S GOING TO GENERATE A LOT OF POWER.
WAS THAT COUNTED IN? THAT'LL BE IN DISTRICT D.
UM, THAT IN SUNNYSIDE, UM, DOES THE UPTICK IN THAT CHART, I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN GO TO THAT, DOES THAT WHERE THE INCREASE FROM 21 TO 22 COMES IN, OR IS THAT NOT COUNTED YET? SO WILL THAT HELP BRING US UP FURTHER? THE, THE SUNNYSIDE SOLAR FARM, UH, NUMBERS ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS CHART BECAUSE IT HASN'T BEEN CONSTRUCTED, OR IT HASN'T, AND IT HASN'T STARTED PRODUCING ANY ELECTRICITY YET.
THE NUMBERS ON THIS CHART REFLECT WHAT IS ACTUALLY INSTALLED, YOU KNOW, ON THE GROUND, ON THE ROOFS IN, IN HOUSTON, AND IT SHOWS YOU HOW MUCH WE'RE PRODUCING PER YEAR.
SO THERE WAS A LARGE, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT I THINK IS GOOD ABOUT THIS CHART IS IT SHOWS THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE INSTALLED IN 2022 IS CONTINUING TO PRODUCE AT A HIGH LEVEL, EVEN GOING FORWARD.
SO THIS NUMBER WILL ONLY GO UP AS WE LOOK AT THE ERCOT INTERCONNECTION QUEUE.
UM, THERE ARE IS A VAST NUMBER OF SOLAR BEING APPLIED FOR AND BUILT IN, IN TEXAS RIGHT NOW.
SO WE DO EXPECT THAT NUMBER TO KEEP GOING.
AND THEN, UM, SOLID WASTE PAGE 20.
I BELIEVE, UH, WE SAW A A WE'RE KIND OF, AGAIN, REMAINING STAGNANT IN RESIDENTIAL WASTE REDUCTION.
MY CONCERN THERE BEING ALSO WHEN IT'S NOT THE RIGHT THING TO DO, BUT IT'S A TREMENDOUS COST ON THE CITY AND IT'S INCREASING OR SPEEDING UP THE LIFE CYCLE OF OUR LANDFILLS WHEN WE'RE NOT DIVERTING.
I KNOW THAT YOU ALL HAVE DONE SOME INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS THAT ARE STARTING UP RELATED TO PLASTIC WASTE, BUT IS THERE MORE THAT Y'ALL ARE LOOKING AT IN TERMS OF WHAT CAN BE DONE HERE? RIGHT.
SO, UM, WE ARE WORKING ON A, A COMPOSTING PILOT RIGHT NOW, UH, THAT HELPS DIVERT WASTE FROM, UH, THE LANDFILL INTO OTHER PLACES.
I THINK YOU ALLUDED TO THE, UM, UH, ALL PLASTICS DROP OFF FACILITIES THAT WE ARE, UH, OFFERING TO THE RESIDENTS THAT HELPS DIVERT PLASTIC FROM GOING INTO THE LANDFILL.
UM, THIS, THIS IS A COMPLICATED NUMBER TO CALCULATE BECAUSE, UM, WE, THERE'S JUST THINGS WE CAN'T CONTROL, RIGHT? I, IF, IF, UH, IF EXAMPLE WE LEARNED THAT A LOT OF CONCRETE GETS, UH, DISPOSED OF AND THAT THAT CAN, UM, THROW SOME, SOME CONFUSION INTO THE, THE TONS THAT WE COLLECT.
SO IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT KIND OF WASTE WE'RE COLLECTING.
UH, AND THE METHODOLOGY ON THIS TARGET COULD PROBABLY BE UPDATED TO REALLY TRACK, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE BEST EXTEND THE LIFE OF THE LANDFILLS.
AND I KNOW, AND CHERYL, I'M HAPPY TO GO BACK IN QUEUE.
UM, BUT I KNOW WE HAVE MULTI-FAMILY RECYCLING PILOT THAT WE'RE WORKING ON GETTING OFF THE GROUND.
UM, I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN HAS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT WITH COMPOSTING, UH, THE CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS IN ALL OF THIS WITH THE PLASTIC RECYCLING.
I MEAN, THE LIST GOES ON, SO I KNOW WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS THAT.
BUT THESE ARE KIND OF THE THINGS I HOPE WE CAN FLUSH OUT.
AND Y'ALL ARE DOING AN OUT OUTSTANDING JOB.
UM, JUST WANTED TO, UM, MAKE A POINT HERE WHEN YOU MENTIONED THE, UH, SOLAR FARM THAT'S BEING BUILT, UM, WHEN, WHEN WE MET A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO TO REVIEW THE PLAN, ONE OF MY CONCERNS, UM, I THINK JUST I WAS REMINDED, FOR INSTANCE, THE SOLAR FARM, WHILE THAT APPEARS TO BE ON THE PLAN, CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THAT, WHERE THAT REALLY STANDS? AND I KNOW YOU SAID IT'S NOT INCLUDED IN THE NUMBERS.
UM, AND, AND I THINK THAT, THAT WHEN WE MET, WE TALKED ABOUT THE REALIST, YOU KNOW, BEING REALISTIC ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING AND INTENTIONAL AND DELIBERATE IN, IN MAKING SURE THAT WHILE IT'S OUT THERE AND IT'S NOT INCLUDED, IF WE AREN'T REALLY ON TRACK AND, AND, AND MAKING PROGRESS WITH THAT, THAT WE NEED TO TAKE A, A HARD LOOK AT AT SOME OF THESE PROJECTS AND, AND REEVALUATE.
AND I'M SURE THAT IN YOUR, IN YOUR PLAN THAT'S, THAT'S PART OF THE PLAN.
BUT CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT? UH, SOLAR, SO THE, UH, SUNNYSIDE SOLAR FARM? YES.
SO THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS A LEASE OR HAS, UM, GRANTED A LEASE TO A DEVELOPER TO, UH, DO THE WORK TO DEVELOP AND OPERATE A SOLAR FARM AT THE SUNNYSIDE, UH, PROPERTY, WHICH ALSO INCLUDES BATTERY STORAGE ELEMENTS AND A COMMUNITY SOLAR ARRAY.
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THAT'S WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.THE, UH, THE DEADLINE THERE, THE LEASE SPECIFIES DEADLINES FOR CERTAIN CONSTRUCTION MILESTONES, AND THOSE ARE HAPPENING LATER IN THE SUMMER.
SO WE'RE, UH, WE HAVE A LEASE, WE HAVE EXECUTED A LEASE AGREEMENT WITH A DEVELOPER TO DEVELOP THE LAND.
IT HASN'T, CONSTRUCTION HASN'T STARTED YET, BUT WE HAVE, WE'RE EXPECTING THE, THE LEASE TO PROCEED AS AS WRITTEN.
AND SO WHAT'S THE FIRST TIMELINE DEADLINE THAT, THAT YOU HAVE THAT THAT'S BEEN MET OR NOT? THE, THE CURRENT DEADLINES, I, I DON'T HAVE THEM IN FRONT OF ME, BUT THEY'RE, THEY'RE IN MID AUGUST FOR CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN.
AND SO HAVE PERMITS BEEN FILED AND APPROVED AND, AND EVERYTHING'S ON TARGET, RIGHT? PERMITTING IS, IS PERMITTING WITH THE STATE AND PERMITTING AT THE LOCAL LEVEL IS, IS LARGELY COMPLETE.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, GIVE HER, UH, HER STAFF MEMBER AS A QUESTION.
UM, ON THE COMPOSTING, UM, WE, Y'ALL KNOW, WE'VE BEEN HAVING THESE ANNUAL DROP OFF PROGRAMS IN 2021, WE FOCUSED ON HOLIDAY FOOD PUMPKINS AFTER, UM, HALLOWEEN, SAME WITH 2022 AND 2023 FOCUSING ON PUMPKINS.
AND THEN ANOTHER SIX WEEK PROGRAM IN 2024.
IN THE MEANTIME, UM, SOLID WASTE AND GOVERNMENT RELATIONS HAD APPLIED FOR A GRANT THROUGH USDA THAT UNFORTUNATELY, IT WAS REALLY DISAPPOINTING TO LEARN.
WE WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL, UM, IN RECEIVING, AND WE'VE HEARD FROM SOLID WASTE THAT WE'RE JUST REALLY HAVING TROUBLE WITH OUR GRANT APPLICATIONS, UM, AND SEEING THOSE BE SUCCESSFUL.
SO ANY HELP WE COULD HAVE, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S GRANT WRITING IN Y'ALL'S OFFICE OR HIRING A GRANT WRITER OR A CONSULTANT THAT CAN KIND OF HELP US OUT.
BUT AS LIKE THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY NOT GETTING THESE GRANTS IS REALLY DISAPPOINTING.
AND COUNCIL MEMBER ALQUAN REALLY WANTS TO SEE US EXPAND COMPOSTING SPECIFICALLY WHEN IT COMES TO DROP OFF LOCATIONS, MAYBE ONCE A MONTH AT A MULTI-SERVICE CENTER OR HOWEVER THAT LOOKS.
UH, GOING PIGGYBACKING ON THE GRANT CONVERSATION, UH, AND I, I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE THERE'S SO MANY FEDERAL DOLLARS AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW, SO MAKING SURE THAT WE, UM, ARE ABLE TO BRING, DRAW DOWN AS MANY AS WE CAN, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE CONSTRAINTS ON OUR OWN CITY BUDGET.
UH, BUT, YOU KNOW, THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN AND THE RESILIENCY PLAN FALL DIRECTLY IN LINE WITH, UM, THE PRESIDENT AND HIS ADMINISTRATION'S, UH, OBJECTIVES AS WELL.
AND ALL OF OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS, I WAS JUST AT, UH, RICE UNIVERSITY FOR THE CLIMATE HUB, UH, EXCUSE ME, CARBON HUBS, UH, ANNUAL MEETING, AND HUNTSMAN WAS THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER.
UH, SO AGAIN, BIG OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARTNERSHIP.
ONE GRANT THAT WE DID JUST GET, UM, THAT I DON'T, I, I KNOW THAT WE GOT SOME ATTENTION ON IT, BUT I BELIEVE THAT WE JUST RECEIVED $2 MILLION, UM, FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR, UH, WAS IT SOLAR? CAN YOU JUST TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THAT GRANT IS? SURE.
PLEASE, IF YOU COULD TURN TO SLIDE EIGHT, PLEASE.
SO THERE'S A PROJECT ON HERE CALLED BUILDING BENCHMARKING AND DECARBONIZATION PROGRAM THAT IS A PROGRAM THAT, UM, THAT WE IMPLEMENT WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO ESSENTIALLY FIND ENERGY EFFICIENCY SAVINGS AT CITY BUILDINGS AND, UM, AND IMPLEMENT MEASURES TO ACHIEVE THOSE, UH, SAVINGS.
THIS FUNDING THAT WE JUST WERE AWARDED BY, UH, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL HELP SPEED UP THAT WORK SO THAT WE CAN IMPROVE OUR BUILDINGS FASTER, REALIZE THOSE SAVINGS FASTER, AND HELP REDUCE, UM, THE AMOUNT OF ELECTRICITY THAT THE CITY IS USING AT ITS OWN CITY FACILITIES.
AND I BELIEVE THAT'S GONNA FALL WHILE, UH, YOU ALL REALLY SPEARHEAD IMPLEMENTATION OF THESE PLANS.
THAT SPECIFIC GRANT WAS, UH, DIRECTED TO THE GSD DEPARTMENT, IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
SO THEY WILL HAVE THE SPECIFICS ON WHAT THE ACTUAL PLAN IS FOR ROLLOUT, ET CETERA.
IF YOU COULD HELP US IN GETTING SOME OF THAT INFORMATION, UH, I DO KNOW THAT THESE GRANTS ARE, AS COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN STAFF, UH, SAID, EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE.
UH, THEY HAVE TO BE HIGHLY DETAILED WHEN YOU'RE APPLYING FOR THEM.
UH, THE FACT THAT WE RECEIVED $2 MILLION IS A VERY BIG DEAL.
SO I WANNA PUBLICLY THANK, UH, THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AND SECRETARY GRANHOLM, UH, FOR THIS, BECAUSE IT'S AN INVESTMENT IN HOUSTON.
IT, IT'S A BELIEF IN WHAT WE ARE DOING HERE.
UH, BUT IF WE COULD GET THE SPECIFICS ON THAT, UH, IN TERMS OF IMPLEMENTATION, THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.
AND JUST AGAIN, WANT CHAIR WANTED TO SPOTLIGHT THAT BECAUSE THE FACT THAT WE RECEIVED 2 MILLION LAST WEEK, UH, IS VERY EXCITING.
[00:30:01]
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, HIS QUESTION.THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, PART OF RESILIENCE IS, I WAS LOOKING AT THE PROJECTS THAT YOU GUYS ARE WORKING ON, UM, THE RESILIENCE HUB, UM, CATCHMENT GARDEN.
IT'S THE FIRST RESILIENT HUB IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND SO WHAT IS THE PLAN TO ESTABLISH MORE RESILIENCE HUBS, UM, THROUGHOUT THE CITY, BUT NOT JUST ESTABLISHING THEM, YOU KNOW, BUT ACTUALLY USING THEM.
YOU KNOW, WE JUST HAD THE, UM, FREE WAS WITH THE FREEZE AND THE, THE STORM, UM, AND THE RESILIENT HUB IN CATCHMENT GARDEN WASN'T OPEN.
UM, BUT WE OPENED UP OTHER LOCATIONS.
SO WHAT IS THE PLAN TO MAKE SURE THAT ONCE WE CREATE THESE, UM, HUBS THAT THEY ARE UTILIZED, UM, WHEN A STORM, UM, OR A FREEZE TAKE PLACE, RIGHT? SO WE'RE, WE'RE ACTIVELY LOOKING AT THE RESILIENCE HUB, UH, PROJECT AND DETERMINING WHAT ARE THE NEXT BEST STEPS TO, TO, UH, PROVIDE THAT TYPE OF SERVICE INTO THE COMMUNITIES.
UM, WE, UH, ARE TAKING A LOOK AT THE, THE MASTER PLAN, THE, THE WAY IT WAS IMPLEMENTED.
UM, WE HAVE A GREAT DATA SET THAT LOOKS AT ALL THE CITY FACILITIES AND MAPS OUT THERE, UM, RISK ASSESSMENTS TO HELP US DETERMINE WHERE THESE PLACES SHOULD GO.
WE'RE WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO HEAR WHAT THEY ARE SAYING AND WHAT, WHAT THE, ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR.
UH, SO WE ARE, WE'RE TAKING A LOOK AT THIS AND, AND REEVALUATING FOR NEXT STEPS.
AND ONE OF THE PIECES, ONE OF THE, UM, PARTS OF THE PROJECT, UH, AT CASHIER GARDEN, I THINK IS VERY UNIQUE IS THE SOLAR, UM, CARPORT.
YOU KNOW, SO WHAT, IS THERE A PLAN TO PUT THESE SOLAR CARPORTS AT OTHER MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS OR CITY, UM, FACILITIES? RIGHT.
SO YOU WERE REFERENCING, UH, WE, WE ARE REALLY HAPPY TO, UM, HAVE PARTNERED WITH SHELL ON A GRANT TO FUND THAT SOLAR CAR PORT.
IT PROVIDES ENERGY TO THE BUILDING, AND, UM, IT'S A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW YOU CAN USE, UH, A PARKING LOT AND TURN IT INTO A PRODUCTIVE, UH, ENERGY ASSET FOR YOUR BUILDING.
SO WE DON'T HAVE ANY PLANS RIGHT NOW TO, UH, DO MORE SOLAR CAR PORTS THAT ARE LIKE, YOU KNOW, AT A STAGE OF, OF, UH, OF, UH, WE'RE JUST WORKING ON POTENTIAL, YOU KNOW, WHERE DO WE WANT THEM TO GO? AND THEN WE'LL START THAT CONVERSATION OF, OF, OF BUILDING THEM OUT, BUT, OKAY.
UM, QUESTION ON THE, UH, CAN YOU GIVE US A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ON THE, UH, GOAL TO, UH, TO PLANT 4.6 MILLION TREES BY 2030? AND, AND KINDA GIVE US AN UPDATE ON AS TO WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AND, AND HOW WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT? SURE.
UM, SO WHEN THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN WAS DEVELOPED, UM, 2020 AND PRIOR, WE HAD, UH, SOME STAKEHOLDERS DEVELOP A TARGET FOR HOW MANY TREES SHOULD WE PLANT OVER THE NEXT, UH, 10 YEARS.
AND THE NUMBER CAME OUT TO BE TWO TREES PER HOUSTON RESIDENT, SO THAT'S 4.6 MILLION.
AND WE, UH, BASICALLY HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS, SO, UH, OR VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS THAT PLANT TREES IN THE COMMUNITY, AND THEY GAVE US TARGETS FOR HOW MANY TREES THEY THINK THEY COULD PLANT PER YEAR.
AND WE'VE JUST BEEN WORKING WITH THESE PARTNERS TO, UH, TRACK THEIR PROGRESS AND THEY VOLUNTARILY GIVE US THE TREE DATA.
AND WE REPORTED IN THIS REPORT, UM, THIS YEAR WE HAD 10 PARTNERS, UH, PROVIDE US WITH DATA ON THEIR 2023 TREE PLANTING EFFORTS.
UM, SO IT, IT'S NOT A, IT'S NOT A ONE-TO-ONE, UH, MEASUREMENT OF THE ACTUAL TREES THAT ARE PLANTED IN HOUSTON, BUT IT'S, IT'S ESSENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING WITH OUR PARTNERS, UM, AND HIGHLIGHTING WHAT THEY'RE DOING AS PART OF IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN.
SO WHEN WE LOOKED AT THIS, UM, SPECIFIC PROGRAM, UM, I RECOGNIZING THE, THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR, UH, PARTNERSHIPS, UM, SO YOU HAVE PARTNERS THAT HAVE GIVEN YOU, UM, THE NUMBER OF TREES THEY'RE GOING TO PLANT, BUT REALLY ON THE OVERALL PICTURE, IS IT, IS IT FAIR TO SAY THAT THE GOAL OF 4.6 MILLION, THAT WE MAY OR MAY NOT REACH THAT BASED ON THE DATA THAT I'VE SEEN? UM, BECAUSE I, I, I DON'T KNOW THE ACCURACY AND, AND REALLY HOW THAT HUB, IF YOU WILL, THAT YOU FEED THE INFORMATION INTO WHO HAS ACCESS, WHO KNOWS ABOUT IT? UM, YOU KNOW, SPECIFICALLY, I, I THINK ON, I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS IN FRONT, BUT LAST YEAR I THINK THAT LANDSCAPERS AND ARCHITECTS PLANTED ZERO TREES WAS THE REPORTING I SEE THE LAST YEAR, YEAR BEFORE.
UM, SO I THINK THERE'S A, A DISCREPANCY IN HOW THAT'S MEASURED, AND WE NEED TO TAKE A HARD LOOK AT THAT.
UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE OVERALL PROJECTS, THERE'S MANY GREAT
[00:35:01]
PROJECTS, BUT AGAIN, I GO BACK TO, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT IN LOOKING AT A NEW PLAN, REALLY MAKING SURE THAT THESE, THESE PROGRAMS, THESE PROJECTS ARE MEASURABLE.THEY'RE, THEY'RE, IF THEY HAVE THE TIMELINES, THE DEADLINES, I MEAN, WE, WE KNOW THAT IT'S IMPERATIVE TO HAVE A GOOD PLAN IN ORDER TO EXECUTE.
IF, IF WE RECEIVE A GRANT, WE HAVE TO HAVE THE PLAN IN PLACE TO SPEND IT.
BUT NO DIFFERENT THAN BRINGING ON NEW SPONSORS TO PLANT TREES.
IF WE HAVE A SOLID PLAN IN PLACE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN, I THINK IT'S VERY DOABLE.
ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS? UH, I DON'T THINK WE'VE GOT ANYBODY IN THE QUEUE SO WE CAN OPEN IT TO OUR SPEAKERS.
UM, AND WE DO HAVE SOME SPEAKERS REGISTERED TODAY.
AND THANK Y'ALL FOR BEING HERE.
UM, WHO'S UP FIRST? SO, MR. JIM TUCKER, WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME FORWARD AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, UH, CHAIR AND COUNCIL COMMITTEE, UH, I'LL BE MENTIONING BOTH THE RESILIENCE AND CLIMATE, UH, MATTERS, UH, THIS MORNING.
UM, AND I'LL TRY AND IDENTIFY WHICH IS WHICH.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS SEVERAL TOPICS.
EXCUSE ME, MR. TUCKER, YOU CAN SIT DOWN.
UH, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS SEVERAL TOPICS.
FIRST, SINCE THE HOUSTON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN WAS ADOPTED AND INITIATED IN 2020, WE NOW NEED TO DETERMINE HOW WE WERE DOING THE ACTING.
UH, DIRECTOR, UH, DISCUSSED SOME OF THOSE EFFORTS, UH, A FEW MINUTES AGO.
THERE'S SOME COMPONENTS REPORTED IN RECENT MONTHS THAT GAVE THE APPEARANCE OF DECLARING VICTORY AND MOVING ON.
THERE'LL BE A PORTFOLIO OF SOLUTIONS AS WE ADDRESS THE CARBON POLLUTION PROBLEM.
AND OUR SCORECARD IS SHOWN ON PAGE 20 OF THE CAP, THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, UH, WHICH WAS ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE, UH, FOURTH OR FIFTH SLIDE THAT THE ACTING DIRECTOR SHOWED A FEW MINUTES AGO, WHAT I CALL THE FUNNEL CHART.
UM, IT WAS, UH, YOU SEE THE BEGINNING OF THAT CHART WAS, UH, 2014.
SO WE'RE ABOUT 10 YEARS DOWN THE ROAD.
AND IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE GONNA BE REPORTING, UH, HOW WE'RE DOING, UH, IN THE, THE FIELD OF, UH, THAT CHART.
UH, REPORTING PROGRESS ON INDIVIDUAL FACTORS IS IMPORTANT, BUT IT'S NOT THE ENTIRE STORY.
UH, ALSO ON CLIMATE, UH, LAST YEAR THE CITY APPROVED THE 2021 BUILDING STANDARDS CATCHING US UP ON THE NATIONAL STANDARDS.
BUT NOW THE TRIENNIAL 2024 STANDARDS ARE OUT, AND WE SHOULD IMMEDIATELY ADOPT THEM.
THIS IS IMPORTANT AS MANY OF THE TWO TO SIX AND SEVEN FLOOR CLASS B OFFICE BUILDINGS FROM THE LATE 1970S AND 80 EARLY EIGHTIES BOOM, ARE NEARING END OF LIFE AND LIKELY WILL BE REPLACED BY HIGHER DENSITY, MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES.
DESPITE THE INFRASTRUCTURE LOADS, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THESE ALSO BILL BE BUILT TO THE HIGHEST CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS.
ALSO, UH, WATER AVAILABILITY STRESSES OF RECENT YEARS.
WE CERTAINLY SAW THAT IN THE PAST YEAR EMPHASIZE THE URGENCY OF ADOPTING SOME SORT OF GRAY WATER USAGE STANDARDS.
I RECENTLY, ON, ON, AGAIN, ON THE, UM, UH, CLIMATE FRONT, I, UH, RECENTLY SAW A REPORT THAT PLANO NORTH OF HERE HAS ACQUIRED ITS FIRST SIDE LOADING REFUSE TRUCK, ELECTRIC TRUCK.
ARE WE MAKING PROGRESS ON THE SOLID WASTE PORTION OF OUR CITY FLEET? ELECTRIFICATION, THERE ARE MORE GEO, THIS IS ON THE, UH, RESILIENCE.
THERE ARE MORE GEOPHYSICAL COMPANIES IN HOUSTON THAN ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD I'VE WORKED FOR.
ONE, THEY HAVE SWAMP BUGGIES AND OTHER HIGH WATER VEHICLES, AND WE CAN MOBILIZE THOSE IN A DAY, SOME SORT OF STANDBY CONTRACTS FOR THESE VEHICLES FOR HIGH WATER EMERGENCIES.
UH, A QUESTION, UH, FOR THE COUNCIL, UM, AS YOU, UM, UH, REFLECT WHAT IS THE HOUSTON DEFINITION OF RESILIENCY? WHAT IS THE HOUSTON DEFINITION OF SUSTAINABILITY? I'LL APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS ON ANY OF THESE ISSUES.
THANK YOU FOR THE MEETING TODAY, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.
UM, IF YOU'LL, UH, HOLD ON A SECOND.
COUNCIL MEMBER CAMAN, THANK YOU CHAIR, AND I WON'T SPEAK TO WITH EVERY PUBLIC SPEAKER,
[00:40:01]
BUT, UH, JIM, I DID WANNA THANK YOU.YOU ARE A RESIDENT EXPERT AND YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN ENGAGED AND INVOLVED.
YOU'RE PRETTY GOOD AT THIS STUFF, UH, INVOLVED IN A LOT OF THIS.
ONE, CAN YOU PLEASE SEND US YOUR RECOMMENDATION, SO THE, THE LIST THAT YOU'RE READING OFF OF IN TERMS OF NEXT STEPS AND WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE THE CITY DOING, CAN YOU SEND THAT TO US SO WE HAVE IT, THESE COMMENTS? YES.
I'LL FORWARD THAT TO YOUR OFFICE AND YOU CAN DISTRIBUTE IT AS YOU THINK APPROPRIATE.
I JUST, AGAIN, YOU LISTED OFF A FEW THINGS.
I WANNA MAKE SURE WE GOT THOSE.
AND THEN I DID RELATE INTO SOLID WASTE.
UM, A NOFO WAS JUST RELEASED FROM THE EPA FOR MORE FUNDING FOR, UM, SOLID WASTE ELECTRIFICATION OR REDUCTION OF CARBON.
SO THAT NEW, THOSE NEW FEDERAL DOLLARS ARE OPENING UP.
AND I DID, I KNOW THAT, UH, DIRECTOR WILL FALK, A RA AND OTHERS ARE LOOKING INTO THAT.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE GOING FOR IT, BUT I DID SHARE OUT THAT INFORMATION, EXCUSE ME, BECAUSE MORE FEDERAL DOLLARS ARE NOW, UH, AVAILABLE FOR THAT AS WELL.
MR. BANEZ, WELL THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY CHAIR, UM, VICE CHAIR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UM, I THANK YOU FOR, UM, FOR THIS MEETING.
AND I ALSO, UH, THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO US.
UH, WE CAME IN EARLY AND TRIED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNEW WHAT, UH, WE WERE LOOKING FOR.
THE A RA FOLKS ARE HAVING MONTHLY MEETINGS WITH US, SO WE'RE VERY HAPPY ABOUT THAT.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WOULD SUGGEST IN THE UPDATE IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY HAD, UM, THE PRIOR DIRECTOR, UH, PUT IN IS, UH, A NON-DISCLOSURE, UH, REQUIREMENT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE WORKING GROUPS.
UM, A LOT OF THE WORKING PEOPLE THAT, UH, WERE IN THE ORIGINAL WORKING GROUPS DECIDED NOT TO SIGN THAT, AND SO THEY DIDN'T PARTICIPATE IN WORKING GROUPS.
UM, I ALSO, UM, WROTE NOTES TO THE A RA ON ON THEIR PRESENTATION.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL, UM, GROUPS ARE CONCERNED WITH IS THAT WE ARE, UM, THE, THE PLAN IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY WHATEVER, UH, CORPORATION, UM, THAT HAS, I THINK, STRUCTURED SOME OF THE THINGS, SOME OF THE GOALS.
BUT, UM, I GAVE THE CHALLENGE TO, UH, THE INTERIM DIRECTOR TO PROVE TO US THAT, UH, WE HAVEN'T BEEN, UH, IN, UM, SHAPE TO TAKE SOME SOLUTIONS THAT, UH, THAT, THAT ARE SUGGESTED IN THE PLAN.
UH, FINALLY, I, I JUST WANTED TO, UH, TALK ABOUT THE TREES.
UM, WE HAVE REQUESTED THAT, THAT THE, UH, A RA LOOK INTO, UH, SPECIFIC ORDINANCES, UM, TO PLANT MORE TREES AT SINGLE, UM, FAMILY RESIDENCE, UM, ALSO WITH THE, UH, STORM DRAIN, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN TO ADD MORE TREES WHEN THEY'RE BUILDING NEW NEIGHBORHOODS.
UH, ALL THIS, UM, IS TO COMPENSATE FOR, I READ A, UH, A, UM, AN ARTICLE OR, OR HEARD ONE THAT OUR, WE LOST 10% OF OUR, OUR, OUR TREE CANOPY DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
UM, SO, UM, WE NEED TO WORK ON THAT AS WELL.
AND THEN FINALLY, UM, OUR FAVORITE, UH, I WAS STILL WAITING FOR OUR, OUR FIRST, UH, DUMP TRUCK, UH, FROM 2021.
UM, MY, MY BIG QUESTION IS, UM, UM, WE, I SAW THE PRESENTATION IN 2021.
IT LOOKED LIKE WE HAD BUDGET, UM, AVAILABILITY TO MAKE, UH, MAKE THOSE PURCHASES.
UM, MAYOR SAYING, WE GOT NO MONEY.
SO I WANTED, WHAT, WHAT I WANTED TO KNOW IS, DOES THE, UM, WASTE THE, THAT DEPARTMENT, THE FLEET DEPARTMENT HAVE TO RE RE, UM, UH, GET APPROVAL TO MAKE THOSE PURCHASES? OR ARE WE GOING DOWN THE ROUTE THAT WE'RE GOING TO GET ALL FEDERAL MONEY AND, UH, AND NOT HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF GOING THROUGH THE BUDGET? I'M GONNA ASK THIS QUESTION MULTIPLE TIMES.
I'M GONNA BE ON HERE ON THE 20TH TO ASK THE SAME QUESTION, BUT IF YOU HAVE THE ANSWER, I MAY NOT HAVE TO COME ON THE 20TH.
SO, UH, THAT'S IT, THAT'S MY CONCLUSION.
WELL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
AND, AND AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR, FOR SHOWING UP AND SPEAKING UP.
AND IF I HAD THE QUESTION ON THAT, I WOULD CERTAINLY ANSWER IT, BUT I THINK WE, WE ALL WOULD IF WE HAD THAT ANSWER.
BUT I ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONTINUE TO ASK THE QUESTION.
NEXT SPEAKER IS DOMINIC, AK, MR. AK, I USE THIS A PROP.
[00:45:03]
OKAY.AND HERE'S DOMINIC ZA, I'M IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS.
DOES ISSUES WITH THE HOUSTON EMERGENCY CENTER BELONG TO THIS COMMITTEE, OR WHICH COMMITTEE DOES THAT BELONG TO? THE HOUSTON EMERGENCY CENTER.
IS THAT THIS COMMITTEE? COMMITTEE OR NO MEMBER COMMITTEE? IT, SORRY.
IT WOULD DEPEND ON WHAT THE ISSUE IS RELATED TO THE HOUSTON EMERGENCY CENTER.
TRADITIONALLY, THAT WOULD GO TO PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY AND THAT I'LL GO COMMITTEE, THAT WOULD BE CHAIR PECK.
I'M GLAD THAT THE P PEOPLE THAT PRESENTED FIRST INDICATED THAT A ROBUST TRANS TRANSIT SYSTEM IS PART OF RESILIENCY AND REDUCING CARBON EMISSIONS.
LIKE I SAID, I TOOK, DROVE MY CAR TO THE YORKSHIRE PARK AT ROAD BUS THAT, SO I DID MY PART.
SPEAKING OF THAT, AND I THINK WE HAVE A GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHAT COULD NOT, COULD PREVENT RESILIENCY IS A ISSUE IN YOUR DISTRICT RIGHT NOW, SHEPHERD DURHAM, THAT, IS THAT YOUR DISTRICT OR THAT THAT'S, THAT'S YOURS.
MY THING IS, AND I THINK AGAIN, THIS, THIS CRISIS, SEVERAL COMMITTEES.
MY THING IS, AND I THINK Y'ALL NEED TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING, WITH, WITH, IF THE CITY COUNCIL PUT SOMETHING IN, WE'RE GONNA DO THIS.
IF PASS THE CITY COUNCIL, THE ONLY WAY THAT THAT COULD BE REMOVED IS COMING BACK TO COUNCIL.
IF, LIKE FOR THE, UH, AGAINST, UH, THE RAINY DAY FUND, THE RENEW HOUSTON, THAT'S PART OF THIS COMMITTEE.
MY THING IS, IF THE, THAT SHOULD BE A LOCKBOX THAT SHOULD ONLY BE FOR RENEW HOUSTON, YOU CANNOT RAID THAT BOX UNLESS YOU BRING IT BACK TO THE VOTERS.
I THINK WE NEED LOCK BOXES ON OUR, ON OUR MONEY SITUATION.
ALSO, TOO, UH, AGAIN, SALLY ALCORN PROBABLY WILL AGREE WITH ME.
OH, ALSO TOO, ACTUALLY THE METRO HAS, IS, HAS THEIR CLIMATE ACTION PLAN.
A LOT OF IT'S PARALLELING THIS GROUPS HERE, UH, OUR CONTROLLER, WHICH IS PART OF THAT, UM, OF THAT OVER AT METRO, THAT'S A RESOURCE PERSON.
AND LASTLY, WE HAVE POOL VEHICLES.
I KNOW ALL Y'ALL HAVE POOL VEHICLES FOR YOUR, FOR USE IN THE CITY POOL.
WHY DON'T YOU GO TO METRO AND CAN HAVE BUY SOME CUE CARDS.
AND FOR SOME PEOPLE, UH, GOING ON METRO MIGHT BE CHEAPER THAN USING A CAR.
AND ALSO WOULD MEAN THAT YOU'RE SHOWING THE EXAMPLE AND YOUR, YOUR STAFF IS SHOWING EXAMPLE THAT YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING FOR CLIMATE ACTION CHANGE.
DON'T EXPECT THE CITIZENS TO ARRIVE OR CARPOOL OR WHATEVER IF YOU'RE NOT.
COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, CAYMAN, DID YOU HAVE THANK YOU CHAIR.
JUST REALLY QUICKLY, DOMINIC, GREAT SUGGESTIONS.
BECAUSE YOU REFERENCED DURHAM SHEPHERD.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I'M CLEAR ON WHAT, UM, YOU WERE SUGGESTING OR ASKING.
I THINK IT WAS BROADER THAN THAT, BUT ARE, ARE YOU, CAN YOU RESTATE WHAT YOU WERE SAYING? JUST SO I UNDERSTAND IT.
I SAY, YOU TOLD ME IN, UH, SIDEBAR AFTER THE COUNCIL MEETING LAST WEEK THAT, OR DURING COUNCIL MEETING OR OR ONE OF THESE, THAT THE ISSUES WITH SHEPHERD WAS BROUGHT TO THIS HORSESHOE 10 TIMES.
MY THING IS, THEREFORE, IF, IF THE, THE COUNCIL AGREED TO DO A PROJECT OR TO TAX SOMETHING, THE WHOLE COUNCIL, THE MAYOR HIMSELF ON HIS OWN ACCORD, SHOULD COME BACK TO THIS COUNCIL TO GET IT REMOVED.
I, I, I I, I THINK THAT YOU ARE DENYING THE VOTE OF THE PEOPLE EVEN DIRECTED BY ELECTION.
YOU KNOW, REMEMBER THE CITY, THE PEOPLE ARE THE CITY OR BY DIRECT VOTE OF THE PEOPLE THAT HAS TO GO BACK TO THE GROUP THAT PUT IT INTO EFFECT.
YOU KNOW, ONE PERSON CAN'T JUST GO WILLY-NILLY AND REMOVE SOMETHING.
AM I MAKING ANY SENSE NOW? YEAH.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE CLARIFICATION.
NEXT SPEAKER IS DEBORAH MORAN.
SO I PROB I PROBABLY SHOULD STAND BECAUSE WHICH ONE'S THE MIC THAT'S WORKING? HELLO? I PROBABLY SHOULD STAND ALMOST BECAUSE YOU WON'T SEE ME OTHERWISE.
UM, I'M DEBBIE MORAN AND I'VE BEEN TRYING TO RAISE AWARENESS ON LIGHTING EDUCATION IS ON THE TOPIC OF SUSTAINABILITY.
HOUSTON DRAMATICALLY OVERUSES LIGHT IN A WAY THAT
[00:50:01]
ACTUALLY MAKES US SEE A LOT LESS WELL, AND I CAN QUICKLY SHOW YOU THAT WITH THIS LAMP.I JUST DID IT FOR HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT FOUR AT CITY CENTER FOR A LOT OF CITY ENGINEERS.
AND THE DARK, IT WORKS A LOT BETTER, BUT I CAN AT LEAST SHOW YOU THE PROBLEM.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT MY LAMP, WE HAVE MUCH TOO MUCH LIGHTING THAT LOOKS LIKE THIS, AND MUCH OF THAT IS PRIVATE LIGHTING THAT'S IN YOUR EYES AND WHITE.
AND IT SHOULD BE POINTED DOWNWARD.
AND IF I HAVE SOME FIGURES UNDERNEATH IT, I CAN TURN IT ALL THE WAY DOWN.
I CAN TURN IT ALL THE WAY DOWN.
YOU CAN SEE A FIGURE UNDERNEATH AND ONE BEHIND BETTER AT THE LOWEST LEVEL OF LIGHT THAN WITH THE HIGHEST LEVEL POINTED OUTWARD IS GLARE.
SO, UM, FIRST OF ALL, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT THE CITY IS MAKING PROGRESS BECAUSE I JUST RAN INTO MARTIN HERRERA AND HE TOLD ME THAT DURHAM MONTERA DUR, UH, SHEPHERD DURHAM IS USING DIMABLE WARMER STREETLIGHTS.
SO THAT SAVES ENERGY WHEN YOU DIM THEM OVERNIGHT.
UM, BUT WE HAVE THOUSANDS OF LIGHTS THAT ARE GRANDFATHERED INTO OUR NEW LIGHTING ORDINANCE, WHICH WILL TURN LIGHTING DOWNWARD AND MAKE IT WARMER AND HOPEFULLY FAINTER.
I DON'T THINK WE REALLY HAVE INTENSITY IN THAT ORDINANCE WITH, WITHOUT, SINCE THESE LIGHTS ARE GRANDFATHERED.
IT WILL TAKE A GENERATION TO FIX THIS UNLESS WE HAVE EDUCATION, PREFERABLY FROM THE POLICE.
SO I JUST GAVE A TALK ON ALL THE WAYS WHEN WE TALK TO INDIVIDUAL POLICE OFFICERS, WE CAN TURN THEM AROUND IN 30 TO 60 SECONDS, EITHER WITH OUR LAMP OR OUR 22ND DISAPPEARING PEDESTRIAN VIDEO, WHICH YOU'LL SEE ON THE HOMEPAGE AT SOFT HOUSTON SOFTLIGHT HOUSTON.COM OR ON A NIGHT WALK AS WE DID WITH PRECINCT FOUR AND SHOWED THE PROBLEM IN THE GLENMONT AREA.
WE WERE ABLE TO SHOW TWO SIDE BY SIDE LIGHTS, A MUCH FAINTER WARM LIGHT NEXT TO A BRIGHT WHITE LIGHT.
AND HOW THE VISIBILITY WAS SO MUCH BETTER WITH THE FAINTER LIGHT.
WE ALSO SHOWED PEOPLE CROSSING TO A FOOD TRUCK WHERE THEY WERE, THOSE CARDS WERE BLINDED BY HIGH GLARE, WHITE LIGHT POINTED OUTWARDS.
SO THE, THE VISUALS I GAVE YOU SHOW SPECIFIC EXAMPLES BUILDING BY BUILDING OF HOW YOU CAN INCREASE VISIBILITY OR AT LEAST HAVE IT BE THE SAME USING FAR LESS LIGHT.
AND UM, THE LAST THING I WANNA MENTION IS THERE IS A STUDY BY CHRISTOPHER EV EVERAGE OUT OF COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES.
HE HAS A GRAPH OF PER CAPITA USE OF LIGHT.
HOUSTON USES TWICE A LIGHT PER CAPITA OF SHANGHAI CHINA.
THANK YOU FOR THE VISUALS AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR INFORMATION.
DEBBIE, I JUST, I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU AND I KNOW IF OUR MAYOR PRO TEM WAS HERE, SHE WOULD SAY AS WELL, YOU ARE THE RESIDENT EXPERT WHEN IT COMES TO LIGHTING, AND I'M VERY GLAD TO HEAR THAT THE MEETINGS WITH SOME OF OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS ARE GOING GREAT.
SO WE JUST NEED THIS TO BE MORE FORMALIZED.
WE HAVE A WHOLE TEAM TO WORK WITH THE MAJOR CITIES CHIEFS ASSOCIATION, NATIONAL EXPERTS.
UM, BUT RIGHT NOW EVERY SINGLE OFFICER I'VE TALKED TO HAS SAID, ADMITTED THAT THEY RECOMMEND BRIGHT LIGHT AND WE NEED EDUCATION.
AND PEOPLE WILL NOT BELIEVE THIS FROM ENVIRONMENTALISTS.
THEY HAVE TO HEAR IT FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT.
UH, WANTED TO ASK IF I COULD SPLIT OUR, SPLIT MY TIME WITH ADAM AS WELL.
I COULD DO THE FIRST PART AND WE COULD DO THE SECOND PART WITH ADAM, ONLY BECAUSE HE HAS A HOUSTON ASTROS, UH, LAPEL PIN ON
THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR, UH, HAVING US SPEAK, UH, BEING ABLE TO SPEAK.
I'M A REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER AND A CERTIFIED PLANNER AND THE CURRENT CHAIR OF THE PUBLIC, UH, RELATIONS COMMITTEE OF THE HOUSTON BRANCH OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS, UH, OR WHAT WE CALL A SCE HOUSTON.
AND TODAY I HAVE ADAM EATON, ALSO A REGISTERED, REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER, AND THE CURRENT VICE CHAIR, UH, ABOUT 3000 INDIVIDUAL CIVIL ENGINEERS IN THE GREATER HOUSTON REGION ARE MEMBERS OF A SCE HOUSTON.
AND AS VOLUNTEER INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS, WE WORK TO ACHIEVE THE MISSION OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS, WHICH IS TO ADVOCATE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE AND THE PROFESSION OF ENGINEERING TO ENHANCE THE WELFARE OF HUMANITY.
TODAY WE WANTED TO SHARE OUR THOUGHTS ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE.
UM, WITH THIS NEWLY CREATED COMMITTEE, WE ALSO WANTED TO OFFER TO ASSIST THIS COMMITTEE AND THE ADMINISTRATION WITH CONSIDERATION OF THESE ISSUES GOING FORWARD.
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS DEFINES RESILIENCE OF AN INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEM AS THE ABILITY OF THAT SYSTEM TO MAKE A RAPID RECOVERY BACK TO FULL FUNCTION.
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AFTER A LOSS OF FUNCTION FROM A SHOCK OR A STRESS OR A DISASTER, A SYSTEM WITH LOW RESILIENCE WILL SUFFER A LARGE LOSS OF FUNCTION AND WILL TAKE A LONG TIME TO RECOVER.A SYSTEM WITH HIGH RESILIENCE MAY NOT SUFFER ANY IMPACT AFTER A DISASTER, AND IF IT DOES, IT CAN RECOVER BACK TO FULL FUNCTION IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
THE PEOPLE OF HOUSTON RELY ON MANY VITAL INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE.
THESE INCLUDE WATER DISTRIBUTION, WASTEWATER COLLECTION, THE POWER GRID, OUR NETWORK OF ROADWAYS, WHICH SUPPORTS FOOD DISTRIBUTION AND COMMERCE AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, WHICH TO NAME A FEW.
THE CITY'S PRIMARY HAZARD, THE SHOCK THAT CAN ALWAYS IMPACT OUR INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS IS FLOODING
AS WE HEARD, RESILIENT HOUSTON IS AN IMPORTANT DOCUMENT THAT IDENTIFIES MANY ACTIONS TO ENHANCE THE RESILIENCY OF MANY ELEMENTS OF OUR CITY, NOT JUST INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS. MANY A SCE HOUSTON MEMBERS VOLUNTEER TO ASSIST THE CITY OF HOUSTON OFFICIALS TO DEVELOP RESILIENT HOUSTON, AND WE SUPPORT ITS IMPLEMENTATION.
A SCE SUPPORTS INITIATIVES THAT INCREASE THE RESILIENCE OF INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS AGAINST HAZARDS THROUGH EDUCATION, RESEARCH, PLANNING, DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE, AND AN APPROACH TO PLANNING, DESIGNING, CONSTRUCTING, FINANCING, MAINTAINING AND OPERATING INFRASTRUCTURE THAT INCREASES OR MAINTAINS RESILIENCY.
A SCE ALSO SUPPORTS POLICIES THAT ANTICIPATE AND PREPARE FOR THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT.
FOR EXAMPLE, LARGER AND MORE FREQUENT RAINFALL EVENTS.
A SCE ALSO SUPPORTS UPDATES TO ENGINEERING, DESIGN STANDARDS, BUILDING CODES AND REGULATIONS THAT STRENGTHEN THE SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE OF INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS. FURTHER, A SCE SUPPORTS EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS OR PORTIONS OF THEM THAT ARE MOST THREATENED BY HAZARDS, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT ARE ANTICIPATED TO SEE INCREASED THREATS AS CLIMATE CHANGE PROGRESSES.
WE APPLAUD THE ADMINISTRATION FOR CREATING THIS NEW RESILIENCE COMMITTEE AND WE WORK FORWARD LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE ADMINISTRATION AND THIS COMMITTEE TO ENHANCE THE RESILIENCE OF OUR CITY.
WELL, THANK Y'ALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
WE, WE PREVIOUSLY MET, UM, IF YOU WOULD BE SO KIND AS TO SEND A COPY OF YOUR PRESENTATION TODAY, UH, WE CERTAINLY LOOK FORWARD TO, TO CONNECTING WITH YOU AND WORKING WITH YOU.
UM, CERTAINLY INFRASTRUCTURE AND KEY WORD FLOODING, THAT, THAT'S ONE THAT EVERYBODY PERKS UP TO IS HIGH ON THE LIST.
UM, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? COUNCIL MEMBER, VICE CHAIR CAYMAN? NO, WE, WE REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYTHING A SC DOES.
UM, I MEAN Y'ALL'S RECOMMENDATION, Y'ALL STANDARDS, ALL OF THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE CITY NEEDS TO TAKE A HARD LOOK AT.
THANK Y'ALL FOR COMING DOWN TODAY.
UM, WE CAN OPEN UP, UH, IF THERE WERE ANY OTHER SPEAKERS HERE TODAY THAT DIDN'T GET REGISTERED, WE'RE HAPPY TO, TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE.
IS ANYBODY OUT THERE WITH A QUESTION OR TWO THAT WE CAN OR CAN'T ANSWER? NO.
WHAT'S YOUR NAME? MY NAME'S BRANDY.
BRANDY, I WAS, TURN THE MIC ON.
I WAS WONDERING IF, UM, I COULD COME AND GIVE A PRESENTATION TO THIS COMMITTEE AT SOME TIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
HAPPY TO, HAPPY TO, UH, CONNECT WITH YOU, ONE OF THE TEAM MEMBERS HERE.
WE'LL GET YOUR INFORMATION AND WE'LL CONNECT WITH YOU AND, AND CERTAINLY LOOK FORWARD TO, TO HEARING YOU.
I WORK FOR AIRLINES HOUSTON, AND I'M THE CLIMATE JUSTICE COORDINATOR FOR PLASTIC POLLUTION.
SO I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN TALKING WITH THE CITY ABOUT SOME WASTE REDUCTION, UM, THINGS THAT WE CAN DO UPSTREAM TO, UH, EXTEND THE LIFE OF THE LANDFILLS.
ANYONE ELSE? WELL, I WOULD SAY IF THERE ARE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS, THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED, BUT IT WAS NEVER CONVENED.
SO
WELL, THANK YOU ALL, UH, FOR COMING TODAY AND LETTING US HEAR FROM YOU.
CONTINUE TO REACH OUT, CONTINUE TO EMAIL, CONNECT, CALL YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND US, AND WE'RE HERE FOR YOU.
UH, WE WORK FOR YOU AND LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU.