Board Meeting Minutes June 11, 2009 Edison AGTAC Tulare, California
I.
Welcome & Introductions Board Members: Hilary Baird Jeff Briltz William Delain Frank Farrel Tim Fisher Laura Fultz�Stout Gary Hanson David Howlett Tom Jordon Roger McNeil Bill Pfanner Rollie Smith Mark Stout Jeff Wright
Alternates: Jorge Rojas (Daniel Abdella) Devon Jones (Steve Giel) Colby Morrow (Colby Wells) Staff: Paul Johnson, SJVCEO Cynthia Downing, SJVCEO Courtney Kalashian, SJVCEO Stephen Miller, SEI Affiliates: Pete Weber, Partnership Liaison Brandon Apparcel, Renewable Solar Energy Meredith Englehart, Quad Knopf Katie Stevens, California Partnership SJV Hanafi Fraval, AgBiomass Council
Paul Johnson called the meeting of the Board of Directors of the San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization (SJVCEO) to order at 10:15 a.m. Paul welcomed and thanked everyone for traveling to Tulare.
II.
Approval of Minutes of April 2, 2009 Board Meeting
The minutes of the April 2, 2009 SJVCEO Board of Directors were approved on a motion made by Gary Hanson, seconded by Bill Delain, and unanimously approved by the board.
III.
Approval of Financial Statements
Cynthia Downing
Cynthia Downing presented the organizations financial statements through April 30, 2009. She reported that the organization is ahead of budget due in part to the VIEW Partnership and EECBG city services, but staff will continue to develop revenue sources. A motion was made to note and file the financial reports was made by Colby Morrow, seconded by Mark Stout, and unanimously approved by the board.
SJVCEO Board Meeting Minutes –June 11, 2009
IV.
Election of Officers
Cynthia Downing
Gary Hanson, 2009‐10 Nominations Committee Chair, explained the processes used to determine the make up of the new board of directors. He informed the board that much consideration was given to make certain that all eight counties were represented, and that the CAPSJV slots were filled; however we would still welcome new candidates. Paul Johnson introduced the new members of the board: Daniel Abdella, Hilary Baird, Frank Ferral, Dave Howlett, and Bill Pfanner. The returning board members were thanked for staying on, and everyone agreed that they are looking forward to a successful year. A. B. C. D.
Chair, Pending Linda Urata Vice Chair, Jeff Wright Treasurer, Jeff Briltz Secretary, Carole Goldsmith
Motion: to elect the officers presented. Should Linda Urata accept final approval will go to the Executive Committee by Gary Hanson, second provided by Mark Stout, and unanimously approved by the board. Paul Johnson acknowledged the leadership and term served by Rollie Smith, and thanked him for all his time and effort on behalf of the organization. The board agreed and applauded Rollie. V.
Update on Energy Stimulus/DOE Block Grants
Paul Johnson
A. Update on Activities Paul informed the board that the organization has been active in Energy Stimulus activities, and the goal is to bring in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to the San Joaquin Valley. B. Services to Large Jurisdictions The SJVCEO staff is focused on the opportunities available to large jurisdictions (cities and counties over 35,000) through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant and State Energy Program. Paul explained that the organization has been working with the California Energy Commission to make sure that all the Valley jurisdictions receive the funding for which they are eligible. Paul provided a brief description of the SEP and EECBG programs. Paul reported that the SJVCEO staff had reached out to all 17 direct fund cities to see where they are and what their progress experience has been. All Valley jurisdictions are on their way, and Paul is very optimistic on getting stimulus funds into the San Joaquin Valley. The organization is working with the cities of Ceres and Delano to help them submit their application to the Department of Energy by June 25. C. Air District Partnership i. Small Jurisdiction CEC Proposal The goal of the partnership with the SJVAPCD is to make sure that small jurisdictions (cities and counties with population under 35,000) are able to properly leverage Utility/Air District/ARRA resources. This collaboration will give small jurisdictions greater value for the ARRA funds, and we need to show that the jurisdictions will get more by partnering with us. With a proposed Administration cap imposed by the CEC many small jurisdictions won’t be able to justify the administrative expense required to pursue the funds on their own.
SJVCEO Board Meeting Minutes – June 11, 2009
Tom Jordon explained to the board the SJVAPCD has a grants department with experience in pursuing ARRA funding and Block Grant funding. The Air District is also able to advance funds, something that will be very appealing to the small jurisdictions. Tom explained that the proposed administrative cap will decrease for the jurisdictions once the CEC takes its part, and the partnership would allow the jurisdictions the opportunity to make the most of their stimulus dollars. The next steps to move forward with the Partnership involve engaging the jurisdictions with a broad geographic reach. Tim Fisher volunteered the Great Valley Center to assist with outreach. A discussion followed on the merits of pooling money for greater impact, and the efficiency of working as a group opposed to burning up administrative dollars. Pete Weber expressed his opinion that every jurisdiction under 35,000 is underserved and that the packages the partnership puts together can be a huge help. The board agreed that the Sustainable Communities Committee should oversee the implementation of the project. The Sustainable Communities committee will convene within one week to review the proposal and make its recommendation on how to proceed.
VI.
Reports and Updates A. VIEW Partnership The VIEW Partnership has launched, the contract has been signed and the staff has started work. Paul provided the board with a brief recap of the project, and highlighted the delivery of services to the participating jurisdictions. Paul also complemented Cynthia Downing for her work on getting the project off the ground. B. Greening Arvin Paul reported that the work on Greening Arvin is moving along well. The pilot project at Bear Mountain Pizza is on track to open in early fall. The project is going so well that Paul is looking at other cities where the REACON model could be applied. Paul will be presenting to the Valley CAN board on the success to date late in the month. C. Working with AgBiomass Alliance Hanafi Fraval of the AgBiomass Alliance presented a PowerPoint on incentives, investments, and permitting for renewable energy projects within the San Joaquin Valley. The AgBiomass Alliance is asking for more cooperation, and wants to know how we can pot together a public/private partnership to achieve greater visibility. Paul announced that the AgBiomass Alliance will hold a conference on September 30 in San Francisco. Hanafi asked for the SJVCEO support to develop a list of “must attend” supporters. Pete Weber suggested that the Alliance set a meeting to brief both Secretary Chrisman and Kawamura. Pete also suggested that the Alliance identify a source of funding from ARRA funding that might be relevant to these projects, or at least find funding for three demonstration projects in different regions; this would give a shot at getting legislative support as going for legislation without funding won’t get far in the current California economy. Tom Jordon said that the Sir District would be happy to help, since the local air districts are where the regulations take place.
SJVCEO Board Meeting Minutes – June 11, 2009
VII.
Committee Reports A. Sustainable Cities Committee. Jeff Briltz Jeff reported that the committee has not been particularly active. We do have to components in place to send out the second survey of communities, and will get that out this summer. The committee will meet next week to review the partnership proposal between the Air District and the SJVCEO. B. Ag‐Bioenergy Committee i.
Renewable Energy‐Agriculture Matrix Devon Jones Devon Jones presented the Renewable Energy‐Agriculture Matrix for Phil Erro who could not be at the meeting. Devon asked the board for their input to send back to Phil for further development. Rollie Smith asked if it would be possible to get help for Phil. Paul Johnson suggested that we nominate Phil to the Ag/Bioenergy Committee chair, and then he would have the committee that could assist him. Cynthia Downing suggested that the matrix be worked into the 25x’25 online map that the staff is developing.
C. Green Workforce Committee Carole Goldsmith Pete Weber reported that the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley is going after funds for Green Workforce Development, focusing on school‐age participants using e‐centers throughout the Valley. Pete explained that there will be four deliverables, with three pilot projects for each deliverable.
VII.
Other Business
A. SJVCEO Staffing Changes Paul Johnson Paul explained to the board that his work with the Department of Energy is part‐time, and has allowed him the opportunity to remain involved and focused on the SJVCEO. He also explained that he and Cynthia Downing have formed a remarkable partnership allowing them both to work in their areas to move the organization forward at a great rate! Paul and Cynthia asked that the board approve the following management structure so they can continue with their efforts: SJVCEO Management Roles Paul Johnson, Cynthia Downing, Executive Director Program Administrator Day to Day Operations x New Project Development x Strategic Planning with Board x Executive Committee/Board Support x x Outreach x x Partnership Development x Signing Authorization for SJVCEO x x Jeff Briltz asked how long this structure would need to be in place. Paul would like to have it for the rest of the year, as it allows the staff to remain nimble. The board accepted the management role matrix as presented.
SJVCEO Board Meeting Minutes – June 11, 2009
B. 25x25 State Alliance Mini Grant Cynthia Downing Cynthia reported that the SJVCEO received $3,500 ($3,200 upfront, $300 upon completion) to create an online Renewable Energy interactive map. C. 2009 Farming Clean Energy Conference Cynthia Downing Cynthia reported that the organization has received approval of a $20,000 grant award to provide seed money for the conference. This year the conference will be a one day event, on December 1, 2009 at the AGTAC center in Tulare, California. Steve Miller of Strategic Innovations presented a PowerPoint to the board outlining the planning for the conference. Steve explained that PESC would handle the event planning and logistics of the event, and SEI would handle content development. Steve informed the board that the planning committee is meeting regularly, and intends to pursue a similar audience to the group from last year. The conference will dive deeper into key areas and issues that were identified at the 2008 conference. Tom Jordon recommended making early contact with growers, the NEISE farmers league, Cotton Ginners, etc. He also recommended approaching the three utilities for outreach. Laura Fultz‐Stout suggested that the planners find someone who can speak on AB1405, and she volunteered her time to the steering committee. Devon Jones recommended that water be a major topic of discussion. D. Fund Raising Cynthia Downing The USDA Rural Development notified the SJVCEO that we were awarded $20,000 for the 2009 Farming Clean Energy Conference on December 1. A request for $50,000 was submitted to PG&E, and we are waiting response from the utility.
VII.
Wrap Up and Adjourn
Paul Johnson
The meeting adjourned at 1:00 p.m. The next meeting will be September 10, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. ‐1:00 p.m. at the CSU Stanislaus campus, in Turlock, California Meeting minutes were recorded by Courtney Kalashian and submitted by Gary Hanson, Secretary.
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Gary Hanson, Secretary Board of Directors, San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization
Date
SJVCEO Board Meeting Minutes – June 11, 2009