HomeMy WebLinkAbout7/5/2022 Item 6b, Montgomery
Delgado, Adriana
From:Pease, Andy
Sent:Friday, July 1, 2022 11:51 AM
To:Montgomery, Victor (Vic)
Cc:E-mail Council Website; Codron, Michael; Read, Chris; Corey, Tyler
Subject:RE: City Proposed all electric ordinance - Clean Energy Choice Code Amendments -
Exhibit A, Chapter 8.10.010 - 7-05-2022 Agenda
Vic –
Thanks for writing and for your thoughtful review of the details of the ordinance. I’ll reply directly to you in a moment,
but I’m looping in key staff here for their information and for our routing protocols.
Andy
Andy Pease
pronouns she/her/hers
Council Member
Office of the City Council
990 Palm, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-3249
E apease@slocity.org
slocity.org
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-----Original Message-----
From: Montgomery, Victor (Vic) <
Sent: Thursday, June 30, 2022 6:12 PM
To: Pease, Andy <apease@slocity.org>
Cc: Stewart, Erica A <estewart@slocity.org>; Christianson, Carlyn <cchristi@slocity.org>; Marx, Jan <jmarx@slocity.org>;
Shoresman, Michelle <mshoresm@slocity.org>
Subject: City Proposed all electric ordinance - Clean Energy Choice Code Amendments - Exhibit A, Chapter 8.10.010 - 7-
05-2022 Agenda
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________________________________
Andy, I hope this email finds you and your family safe and well. As an architect with expertise and understanding
infrastructure and construction processes involved in bringing a new building to completion, I have addressed this email
to you. If you or other Council members have questions about my comments, please contact me at 805-431-7679.
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I do not mean to diminish the knowledge or wisdom of other council members, but you have special knowledge and
thus I have emailed you directly and copied other Council members.
As always, I try to make my comments on City initiatives constructive and clear.
In reading the proposed Ordinance I came across the section copied below the line on this email. I am concerned about
the last 6 words of 8.10.050 A.b. = "pending review of initial tenant occupancy". This dependence on review of initial
tenant occupancy is concerning to me. As I read this in order to propose an exemption to allow natural gas in an
industrial facility the City must review the initial tenant occupancy - what happens if at the time of initial building
permitting there are no selected tenants? Is the installation of natural gas infrastructure to the industrial building dis-
allowed? Is the permit dis-allowed until the tenants are known? In my opinion, if the natural gas infrastructure for an
industrial facility is dis-allowed at the time of initial building construction it is likely dis-allowed permanently as
retrofitting natural gas service for an industrial use is very unlikely and very, very expensive. This process seems unwise
to me as it will over time result in existing industrial building stock in the city being unusable for tenants that may need
natural gas for their industrial processes (boilers, warmers, kettles, furnaces, etc., etc.) that may not feasibly be
accommodated by existing electric equipment. Absent available gas infrastructure in what will then be existing industrial
facilities they will likely locate elsewhere outside the city.
I urge the city to avoid this unintended consequence and delete the last sentence of section 8.10.050.A.b.
Industrial buildings should be allowed to install natural gas infrastructure to accommodate the variety of industrial
tenants that may occupy the building during its usable life. Keep in mind we are discussing Manufacturing and Industrial
use facilities.
Thank you for your attention.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
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8.10.050 TECHNICAL EXEMPTIONS
A. Notwithstanding Section 8.10.040, for purposes of this Section, provision of Natural Gas Infrastructure for certain end
uses is allowed when no all-electric alternative is commercially available or viable. End uses eligible for technical
exemptions are:
a. Back-up power for Critical Facilities necessary to protect public health or safety in the event of an electric grid
outage.
b. Process Loads in a Newly Constructed Manufacturing and Industrial Facility. For Manufacturing and Industrial
facilities with unknown tenants, exemptions may be
provided pending review of initial tenant occupancy.
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