Austin CAN Inaugural Meetup and Gasland II Screening

Welcome, friends. Austin Climate Action Network would like to invite you to our first public event! We’re incredibly excited to fill you in on our new campaign and to talk about how Austin can start taking bold action on climate change! Plus, we’re showing Gasland 2, sequel to the hit documentary exposing the dangers of fracking. You don’t want to miss this!

On Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 7pm, Austin Climate Action Network is hosting a showing of Gasland II at Vortex http://www.vortexrep.org/, with the aim of building interest in and support for opposing Austin Energy’s intent to be party to the new construction of a natural gas plant, which would lock Austin into dependence on fracked natural gas for decades to come, even as natural gas fields are played out, the external costs (pollution) become more evident, and prices of renewable sources of energy drop. At present, the Austin Energy stakeholder process limits and contains the degree to which the people of Austin can decide about the nature of our own energy future. Austin Climate Action Network demand an open and transparent process, in which all the real costs of the available options are accounted for.

Austin Energy is attempting to fast-track an 8-10 year power generation plan that reverses city council’s intentions to reduce the harmful effects of pollution from Austin’s power sources. There are two main issues at stake: Austin Energy states that it is not economically viable to retire Austin’s portion of the Fayette plant prior to 2025. And, Austin Energy now wants to add 800 megawatts of power generated from a natural gas plant yet to be built. Either the current city council should stand firm against this reversal, or else the generation plan needs to be derailed, until the new council is seated. To make this happen, the people of Austin must ensure council members know what they think, and as many as possible need to attend the “stakeholder meetings” to be held on Feb. 25 and 27.

http://www.austineconet.wpengine.com/blog/austin-energy-stealth-hearings-we-want-hear-you-kind