19 Feb A Conversation with Mike Martinez on Austin’s Energy Future
In a wide ranging conversation, Austin City Council Member Mike Martinez addressed a packed room of Austin residents last Saturday. The organization – Our Power, Our Generation – is a task force led by Austin Beyond Coal and Public Citizen to bring the many issues of Austin's Energy future to the public.
Held at the Carver Branch Library on Angelina St., the meeting is part of a major effort to enlist a broad and diverse range of citizen shareholders in the discussion's of Austin's Energy Generation Plan. This plan is now under intense discussion between Austin Energy, the City Council, the Electric Utility Commission – and the citizens of Austin who actually own the utility.
Council Member Martinez reviewed Austin's Climate Protection Plan, written in 2007 to provide the policy goals for dealing with climate change. It called for the retirement of the Fayette coal plant by 2020, 800 MW renewables and a study for 1,000 MW of conservation. Martinez calls for an update of this plan with higher goals and we discuss the new Generation Plan with the utility.
You too are part of that conversation. Listen to Austin Energy's public presentations, then make your voice heard:
“As part of the generation update, Austin Energy is conducting stakeholder input meetings to engage key customers and members of the community. The objective of these meetings is to gather community input that will help us prioritize the resource scenarios we should assess as we update our plan for achieving the Council’s goals."
Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014 – 10 a.m. to noon
Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014 – 6 to 8 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014 – 1 to 3 p.m.
All sessions will take place in the first floor assembly room at Austin Energy Headquarters, Town Lake Center, 721 Barton Springs Road, Austin, Texas 78704.
YOU MUST RSVP for the meeting you plan to attend, as space is limited. Reply to: genplan2014@austinenergy.com
Public testimony is not part of Austin Energy's presentation. But be heard, fill their hard drives with forward looking citizen shareholder input at the link they've provided: http://bit.ly/PeoplesGenPlan
Then contact all your elected representatives on City Council with your views about the need for moving beyond coal and gas to renewable energy, smart grid, conservation and local energy jobs.
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