Ken Lloyd, RAQC; Misty Howell, RAQC; Gerald Dilley, RAQC; Sara O’Keefe, RAQC; Steve McCannon, RAQC; Annmarie Jensen, Stedman Mendez; Mark Graham, City of Englewood; Jay Sherritt; George Gerstle, CDOT; Kerri Fiedler, EPA; Shirleen Tucker, APCD; Jerry Ryan, City of Littleton; Charlie Blosten, City of Littleton; Jim Brandon, ESP; Doug Lempke, AQCC; Bob Lowdermilk, AQCC; and Jeff May, DRCOG.

The meeting was called to order by Chair Jim Scherer at 3:10 p.m. A quorum was not present.

Approval of Agenda and Minutes

Postponed, no quorum.

Local Community Presentations

Biodiesel in Littleton Public School District’s School Bus Fleet

Jerry Ryan, Transportation Service Manager for the Littleton Public School District, briefed Council on the District’s use of biodiesel fuel in their school bus fleet. He explained to Council that he made the decision to test the alternative fuel blend after reading a report last spring about the health impacts diesel exhaust emissions have on children.

Once he received administrative approval, he moved forward with the project. September was the first full month the fleet used the blend, which is made up on 20 percent soy bean oil and 80 percent #2 diesel fuel.

Mr. Ryan explained there are three main benefits to this blend of biodiesel fuel. The fuel is cleaner burning, has a better odor and it does not require engine or infrastructure modifications. The biggest drawback is the cost. According to Mr. Ryan the blend costs approximately $0.15 more per gallon than diesel fuel. There are also some concerns with the blend’s performance in cold weather. Mr. Ryan indicated he is working with the manufacturer to help make the biodiesel mixture work better in cold weather. Currently, the blend has a cloud point of 35 degrees and a pour point of zero degrees.

General Iron Works Redevelopment Project

Mark Graham, Senior Planner for the City of Englewood, welcomed everyone to Englewood on behalf of the Mayor who was unable to attend the meeting.

Mr. Graham reviewed some the policies and practices used by the City of Englewood to help improve air quality. He explained that the City of Englewood has a policy of sweeping streets within five days of a storm. The City has been 100 percent compliant for five years. The City is also reevaluating development around transit corridors and light rail.

The City has also made it a priority to limit sprawl. This type of planning is called transit-oriented development. Not only does it improve air quality because people work, live, and play in the same area, but it also reduces vehicle miles traveled. One example of how the City is using transit-oriented development is the City Center project. Council was able to see this project since the City facilities are located there.

Another example is the General Iron Works Redevelopment project, which incorporates foundry structures with civic, cultural, pedestrian, bicycle, affordable housing, and transit amenities for public and private use. There is approximately a 30 percent transit mode split.

Littleton Air Quality Related Efforts

Charlie Blosten, Director of Public Services for the City of Littleton, outlined steps that the City of Littleton has taken to help air quality, including:

• Encouraging alternative modes of transportation
• Using alternative deicers instead of sand during the winter
• Incorporating CNG vehicles into the fleet
• Working on odor control at the Waste Water treatment plant
• Sweeping streets within four days of a storm
• Planting trees to help manage pollutants in the air
• Providing buses to get to light rail without having to drive, and
• Offering extensive access to bike paths.

He indicated that the City of Littleton has strived to improve the environment for the last 25 years.

Public Comment and Discussion

Doug Lempke, AQCC, stated the AQCC’s Report to the Public has been printed. He gave Council copies and indicated the AQCC will meet on October 17^th to discuss the report.

Informational Items

Chairman

Jim Scherer asked everyone to observe a moment of silence in memory of former RAQC member Don Parsons who passed away recently.

Jim indicated that Governor Owens and EPA Administrator Christine Whitman presented the Council with a plaque in recognition of bringing the metro area into compliance with all major pollutants. Jim presented the plaque to Ken Lloyd and thanked the staff for their work.

Executive Director

Ken Lloyd introduced Steve McCannon, who joined the staff in August and will be working on outreach and policy issues.

Ken presented Annmarie Jensen with an award for her years of service. Annmarie has recently joined a consulting firm.

Committees

None.

Members

None.

Recommendations from High Emitter Work Group

Dennis Arfmann indicated the work group held six meetings. There was tremendous input. Staff is working to finalize the report.

Steve McCannon gave Council an overview of the Work Group’s process and recommendations.

The Work Group recommendations include a smoking vehicle program with a law enforcement pullover program and trained staff option and an RSD4000 high-emitter identification program.

Steve explained the programs and the implementation issues. He informed Council that staff has applied for CMAQ funding through DRCOG for the smoking vehicle education campaign and a high-emitter identification pilot program. Staff anticipates the pilot program will begin next summer.

There was discussion regarding how the high-emitter identification program will work. Jim Brandon, ESP, described how the clean screen vans will work. He also indicated that municipalities have the final say as to where the vans are placed.

Jay Scherritt expressed his concerns with the recommendations of the Work Group. He indicated the data needed for a profile are not available and there is not a clear definition of a smoking vehicle. He also stated there is a need for a cost/benefit analysis for the program before Council moves forward. He further strongly objected to a universal program that does not consider characteristics and the nature of a car’s design.

He suggested the Council consider an alternative program referred to as a soft pullover program. The law would be changed to describe a smoking vehicle and offer incentives to citizens to fix their cars.

There was discussion on the role and cost for local governments.

Council postponed further discussion of the recommendations until the next meeting since a quorum was not present. They requested an opportunity to review the final report before the next meeting.

Ken Lloyd explained that the RAQC and the AQCC worked together to address summer ozone pollution by hosting an ozone workshop, Reducing Ozone in the Denver Region, on October 2, 2002.

Ken gave Council an overview of the ozone workshop. The workshop was a active effort to ensure the Denver region’s attainment status for the one-hour ozone standard and to make sure the region stays in compliance with the new eight-hour standard EPA will soon implement. Local government representatives, businesses and other stakeholders were informed of the current ozone situation for the metro area and developed ideas on additional measures to keep the region in attainment for ozone.

The ozone group will meet again to discuss additional strategies. All interested stakeholders are encouraged to participate.

A series of recommendations will be presented to Council for consideration in December.

Ken Lloyd informed Council that the Colorado Motor Carriers Association worked with the Transportation Legislation Review Committee to develop a diesel I/M bill for the upcoming legislative session. The bill is consistent with the RAQC’s recommendations in the diesel stakeholders’ report.

Staff will follow the bill and report to Council. Staff will also be available to assist with technical issues if required.

Council changed the December meeting to December 12^th.

There being no further business before the Council, the meeting was adjourned at 5:20 p.m.