20 Aug Austin’s Energy Task Force Sets Strong Renewable Goals

The Austin Generation Planning Task Force has released its study and recommendations for the upcoming Austin Energy Generation Plan. An expert panel was created in March 2014 by City Council to study and advise on critical issues of electric power generation for the next decade. How to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions? How to maintain affordability? How to connect all the dots and have reliable power for the citizens of Austin? The panel met fourteen times through spring and summer to work on these questions.

Click on the image below to download the full report:

They make many recommendations for rewewable energy, cost savings, weatherization and energy efficiency, but they all relate to two key metrics which lead the City of Austin's energy planning: 1.)  Eliminate greenhouse gases from our electric generation by 2030 and, 2.) Maintain an electric rate affordability in the lower half of rates in the ERCOT market.

This dance requires careful choreography. The Task Force looked at many ways to achieve both goals as you will see in the full report and recommendations.

Having created Task Force back in March, City Council was eager to hear and discuss their work. A meeting was called by the special City Council Committee on Austin Energy, last Thursday August 14. But with deft procedural maneuvers, Austin Energy staff was able to introduce some unrelated business matters as priorities for discussion, then require that the meeting adjourn to allow for a special meeting of City Council to consider the matter of moving $30 million from one cash account to another, and then – magically – run out the clock on the meeting time planned for the Task Force Recommendations.

Councilors were frustrated by the ploy and Council Member Morrison dug into the issue, finding that the move of money from one cash account to a contingency reserve account was neither urgent or critical. Morrison was frustrated by the move and killed the motion with a request that it be brought up at a more relevant time – end of the fiscal year – and with more information for full discussion of the other related issues.

Now it was after four in the afternoon and the City Council time planned to hear and discuss the Task Force had just melted away.

But here's the significant story:  We're getting to the decision point this fall where the City Council will make critical policy decisions to guide Austin Energy's plans going forward. Despite the derailed presentation on August 14th, Council members have had the report since early July, have studied the issues in detail and met with members of the Task Force individually. They are busy preparing resolutions to implement important parts of the Task Force recommendations. There will be an important Council meeting August 28th – and I'm sure more to follow after that. If you haven't seen it yet, read and get familiar with the Task Force analysis and recommendations. They will be pivotal for Austin's energy future.

Then get ready to take an active role speaking out for renewable energy at the August 28th meeting. I'll cover that in more detail in my next blog. Council meetings this fall are where our renewable energy plans for the next decade will be made.

Be part of getting it right for Austin.