The City of Austin is facing a mountain of issues in its attempt to better regulate a set of items that include marine toilets, marinas and holding tanks. Among them is probable cost, extent of the trouble, and – perhaps the largest – lack of clear regulatory authority with regard to the issue. Council […]
Environment
Posted inResources
Austin Energy reduces incentives, credits for solar users on grid
Austin Energy customers who have installed solar electric systems or are planning to install them are facing a reduction in the incentives offered by the utility. Utility officials defend their actions, saying the reductions are based on budget limits and changing conditions. They insist they remain fully committed to the utility’s solar energy goals. […]
Posted inLocal Government, Local Politics, Resources
PUC: Non-city utility customers must pay legal fees
The Texas Public Utility Commission has dismissed a complaint filed by a group of non-City of Austin ratepayers against Austin Energy. That dismissal means that ratepayers who are not Austin residents will foot the $1.55 million bill for the utility’s legal fees related to a rate case settled earlier this year. So, those who […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Resources
Council eases rules on delinquent utility bills
At the urging of advocacy groups and a tenacious City Council Member Kathie Tovo, the Council on Thursday approved an ordinance that gives additional breaks to residential utility customers having trouble paying their bills. Supporters of the ordinance said the action would especially help in preventing customers with low and fixed incomes from having […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Resources
Council to hash out Austin Energy issues in committee meeting
With Council Member Kathie Tovo pushing hard to gain approval of an ordinance that would offer more leeway for Austin Energy ratepayers in deep arrears on their bills, utility officials remained leery of the plan. It will all be hashed out this afternoon as Council members meet for their monthly Austin Energy Committee meeting, which […]
Posted inDevelopment, Environment, Local Government, Local Politics, Public Safety
County finds just $4.3 million to buy flood-ravaged homes
Travis County officials say they have searched their budgets, bond programs and possibly even the couch cushions to come up with $4.3 million to buy out damaged and destroyed homes from the Halloween floods. But it will be another week or two before County Commissioners will be get an estimate on just how much […]
Posted inResources
EUC advocates major policy change on line extensions
Taking a cue from the Austin City Council’s recent action to increase fees for hooking up new water and wastewater service, the city’s Electric Utility Commission has voted to ask the City Council to take similar action for extending new power lines. Austin Energy has recommended recovering 75 percent of the cost of extending […]
Posted inResources, Transportation
Electric cars see jump-start in Austin
With a predicted 300 percent jump in the number of plug-in electric cars taking to the road over the past year, Austin continues to be one of the nation’s leaders in this clean-running form of transportation. While the numbers are still comparatively small, city energy officials say they expect to see continued steady growth […]
Posted inLocal Government, Resources
LCRA board votes to raise drought trigger to rice farmers’ dismay
A bitterly divided Lower Colorado River Authority Board voted Tuesday to change the drought trigger to 1.1 million acre-feet for lakes Travis and Buchanan. That means that unless combined storage improves significantly by March 1, downstream farmers will again go without water from the Highland Lakes in 2014. With that trigger in hand, the […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Resources
Council split over plan to give delinquent utility ratepayers more time
Council Members Kathie Tovo and Laura Morrison want to give delinquent Austin Energy ratepayers who participate in the utility’s Customer Assistance Program additional leeway in paying their bills. Their proposal met with some resistance from Mayor Lee Leffingwell and utility staff Tuesday. After some discussion, Leffingwell prompted staff to disclose that it would be […]
Posted inResources
Austin Energy plans major push on energy app
Austin Energy is getting ready to take a big leap forward in a program aimed at encouraging customers to save energy and money by signing up to get free updates of their electricity use, including email and text alerts when consumption approaches a more expensive rate tier. The city’s electric utility soft-started the program […]
Posted inDevelopment, Resources
Council panel reveals early list of Google Connections finalists
Members of the Council’s Emerging Technology and Telecommunications Committee Wednesday offered a preliminary list of finalists for the Google Community Connections program. If eventually approved by the full Council — and OK’d by Google – those entities that remain on the list will receive Google’s ultra-high speed Internet service at no cost. City Telecommunications […]