Ken Lloyd, RAQC; Misty Howell, RAQC; Gerald Dilley, RAQC; Meg Deane Franko, RAQC; Sara O’Keefe, RAQC; Margy Christiansen; Shirleen Tucker, APCD; Rick Barrett, APCD; Mike Silverstein, APCD; Doug Decker, APCD; George Gerstle, CDOT; Doug Lempke, AQCC; Bob Lowdermilk, AQCC; Rob McCoy, BKD; Jerry Gallagher, J. Gallagher & Associates; Kerri Fiedler, EPA; Jeff May, DRCOG; Angie Binder, City of Aurora; John Long, SunFuels; Tony Falbo, SunFuels; Hilary Decker, Environmental Defense; Joe Crowley, Progressive Auto Performance; and Jim Brandon, ESP.

The meeting was called to order by Chairman Jim Scherer at 3:12 p.m. A quorum was present at 4:30 p.m.

Approval of the Agenda & Minutes

Postponed until quorum present.

Informational Items

Chairman:

None.

Executive Director:

Ken Lloyd informed Council that the Mow Down Pollution event went well. During the event, citizens purchased 400 electric mowers and 300 electric trimmers. 200 gasoline powered mowers were recycled and permanently removed from the Denver area. Ken thanked Meg Franko and Sara O’Keefe for coordinating the program and Jim Scherer and Melanie Worley for participating in the press event.

Ken reminded Council that the summer ozone program began on June 1 and will continue through August 31. There was discussion on where citizens can get information when there is an ozone action alert. Council discussed the need to heighten awareness this summer due to the hot, dry conditions.

Ken said EPA has proposed approval of Denver’s PM-10 Maintenance Plan. There is now a 30 day comment period. There was discussion of celebration once the plan gets official approval and the Denver area is in attainment for CO, one-hour ozone and PM-10.

Committees:

Dennis Arfmann indicated the Smoking Vehicle Work Group has identified some issues and control strategies. RAQC staff has done a preliminary cost and benefit analysis for review. Dennis stated the committee was initially looking at smokers but may also include high emitters in its review.

A subgroup of the Work Group is meeting on June 17 at 9:00 a.m. to work through some of the strategies. The full Work Group will meeting on July 15 at 9:00 a.m. The Work Group should have a report for Council at its October meeting.

Members:

None.

Public Comment and Discussion

Dennis Arfmann indicated that he received a request from Natural Fuels to give a brief presentation about alternative fuels. He did not see anyone from Natural Fuels at the meeting and suggested that Ken Lloyd contact Paul Nelson and set up a presentation for a future RAQC meeting.

Audit of 2001 Financial Statements

Ken Lloyd reviewed the 2001 audit with Council. Acceptance of the audit was postponed until a quorum was present.

Report from Diesel Stakeholder Work Group

Jim Scherer thanked Dave Sladek and staff for their work with the Work Group and report.

Dave Sladek gave an overview of the Work Group meetings that lead up to the report.

Ken Lloyd reviewed the Work Group’s objectives and the emission trends for on-road and off-road diesels. The Work Group concluded that the diesel I/M program has not kept pace with technological advances and opportunities exist to improve the program’s effectiveness and efficiency. Ken reviewed the recommendations from the report, which included:

For on-road vehicles:

• Establish a Fleet Outreach and Awareness Program

• Fleet recognition program
• Best maintenance practices program
• Vehicle idling education
• Accelerated retirement, retrofit, alternative fuels projects
• Diesel fleet survey
• Information clearinghouse

• Conduct periodic, quantifiable evaluation of program effectiveness
• Automate data reporting
• Add on-road enforcement
• Refine weight definition of HDDV/LDDV
• Increase model-year exemptions and decrease test frequency for newer HDDV (<10 MY)
• Require testing for all diesel vehicles routinely operating in program area
• Allow J1667 testing for newer HD fleet vehicles
• Investigate emission-based testing methods for future consideration
• Improve fleet audit program by focusing on problem fleets
• Expand repair technician training and technical assistance
• Investigate using remote sensing for clean screen and high emitter identification
• Eliminate or increase current repair cost waiver

• Include off-road fleets in Fleet Outreach and Awareness Program
• Improve understanding of current use of low-sulfur fuel (500 ppm) in off-road engines
• Investigate incentives to encourage use of low-sulfur fuel and low-emitting fuels
• Encourage best management practices for off-road engines
• Encourage low-emitting fuels, retrofits and low-emitting technology in large construction projects

The Work Group recommended that the RAQC coordinate overall implementation of the recommendations, publicize the report and recommendations, implement the Fleet Outreach and Awareness Program, assist with the legislative process for Diesel I/M recommendations and implement off-road recommendations.

Jane Norton indicated that the APCD is analyzing the recommendations for budget and legislative purposes.

John Long, Sun Fuels, wanted to inform the Board that Sun Fuels is building a plant in Commerce City, which will produced a fuel additive called biodiesel. He expressed interest in being involved as the recommendations are implemented.

There was discussion on cost and benefit analysis regarding groups of recommendations. Staff will outline details of the awareness program.

Ken Lloyd clarified the guidance from Council. Staff will provide more details regarding the Fleet Awareness program. Staff will set up a meeting with CDPHE policy staff and other interested parties to help facilitate discussion on the issues that will require legislation to be implemented. The RAQC’s role in legislative issues will remain one of providing information.

Jane Norton contacted Tom Norton at 4:30 p.m. via cellular phone so that Council would have a quorum to move forward on its decisions.

Rick Barrett, CDPHE Mobile Sources staff, briefed Council on the preliminary results from the MOBILE6 mobile source emissions modeling for the Denver region. Rick explained some of the differences between the MOBILE5 and MOBILE6 models. He indicated that aggressive driving emits more carbon monoxide, which can now be included in the modeling process. Overall, MOBILE6 shows a sharper decline in emissions. He also stated that the assumptions made for oxyfuels and I/M are very different when using the MOBILE6 model. There is not as much reductions with oxyfuels and IM240 is less effective.

There was discussion on whether the region could get credit in the MOBILE6 model for clean screen. Rick Barrett explained the long tedious process involved to get EPA to accept new options for credit.

Ken Lloyd reviewed the next steps for re-evaluating the region’s current maintenance plans using MOBILE6, including evaluation of strategies and impact on transportation conformity. He explained that an interagency work group, which includes staff from the RAQC, APCD, DRCOG, EPA, CDOT, and FHWA, has been meeting periodically to address MOBILE6.

Ken indicated that emissions budgets will likely need to be updated using MOBILE6 to avoid transportation conformity problems. EPA has provided guidance for an expedited SIP revision process for new updated emissions budgets.

Ken stated that the next round of conformity determinations are not likely to be impacted by MOBILE6 if the current schedule is met. The CO SIP budget needs to be revised using MOBILE6 to avoid future conformity problems. Other SIP budgets will probably not need to be revised separately.

He then outlined some issues that will need to be addressed including:

• Modeling approach - dispersion modeling vs. inventory comparison approach
• Design day/year selections - 1996, 1999, 2000
• Strategy phase-down tradeoffs
• Mobile/non-mobile source tradeoffs
• Impact on future conformity determinations (2030)
• Impact on current Envirotest contract timing - expires 12/31/05

Ken indicated the interagency work group will meet with EPA staff to work on an acceptable modeling approach. Other steps that need to move forward are refining preliminary modeling analysis, determining strategy refinements possible or necessary in interim years, and determining a schedule and process for SIP revisions for conformity budgets and strategy revisions.

There being no further business before the Council, the meeting was adjourned at 5:25 p.m.