A newly instituted and complex rate structure has led to headaches for Austin Energy executives as well as a number of the utility’s commercial customers.  At Thursday’s Council Committee on Austin Energy,AE General Manager Larry Weis and Chief Financial Officer Ann Little explained that due to a recent oversight, about 400 commercial customers had […]
Resources
Posted inLocal Government, Resources
Hays County, Forestar water contract in jeopardy
Hays County’s attempt to secure a water supply contract from Forestar Real Estate Group has run into a legal roadblock in addition to the fact that Forestar currently can’t deliver the amount of water promised in the proposed contract. Late last year, Hays officials contracted with Forestar to provide 45,000 acre-feet of water from the […]
Posted inLocal Government, Resources
New LCRA team: varied experience, highly paid
The Lower Colorado River Authority’s new general manager Phil Wilson received a hefty pay increase when he moved from the hot seat at the Texas Department of Transportation to another hot seat at the state-created water and power authority two months ago. And his pay increase could get even heftier. Wilson’s annual base salary has […]
Posted inResources
Council, EUC fill most seats on city’s Generation Plan Task Force
Austin City Council members and their appointees on the city’s Electric Utility Commission Thursday filled the majority of the seats on a task force set up to complete the first review of Austin Energy’s 2010 Generation Plan. That document, a plan that governs Austin Energy’s generation purchases up through 2020, is a key point of […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics, Resources
Water, wastewater service approved despite objections
Austin City Council members Thursday found themselves boxed into approving water and wastewater service for a development in the drinking water protection zone along FM 620. The extension passed on a 7-0 vote after staff impressed upon Council members the reality of their legal status with regard to the case. Council Member Bill Spelman […]
Posted inEnvironment, Resources
Activists ramp up campaign for renewables and against fossil fuels
As Austin Energy begins to update its energy plan, local solar and environmental advocates have ramped up their three-year campaign to get the City of Austin to invest even more in renewable energy and to pull the plug on coal. However, instead of pummeling Austin Energy to get their points across, many of the activists, […]
Posted inLocal Government, Resources
New LCRA manager reorganizes agency, introduces new team
Phil Wilson, the new general manager at the Lower Colorado River Authority, is wasting no time in making high-level changes to the power and water agency. He sent out a message to LCRA employees last week outlining his approach and laying out a new organizational structure. He has added six new people to his […]
Posted inResources
Solar project draws praise at Generation Plan hearing
Solar energy advocates were still buzzing Monday at the recent news that Austin Energy has negotiated a 25-year contract to buy up to 150 megawatts of solar-generated electricity at a price that is among the lowest ever. A number of persons speaking at a joint meeting of the Electric Utility and Resource Management commissions […]
Posted inLocal Government, Resources
Water board travels Texas selling Proposition 6 funding plan
Despite some late year showers in 2013, at least one of which caused devastating flooding in parts of Travis and Hays counties, the downpours did little to break the persistent drought in many parts of Texas, putting communities and economic development interests on high alert. The Texas Water Development Board, now armed with $2 billion […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Resources
Council backs creation of new power generation task force
City Council members Thursday approved the creation of a new Austin generation planning task force. The group, as yet unnamed, will “examine and make recommendations regarding the 2014 update to Austin Energy’s current Resource, Generation, and Climate Protection Plan.” Council Member Kathie Tovo was the lead sponsor on the item that created the task force. […]
Posted inEnvironment, Public Safety, Resources
Struggle coming over which agency should lead on prescribed burns
After hearing that wildfire prevention efforts led to the prescribed burn of approximately 200 acres in 2013, several Public Safety Commissioners said this week that they worried that any burn not led by the Austin Fire Department poses a safety risk. AFD implements prescribed burns, which reduces the risk of serious wildfires, with partners […]
Posted inResources, Uncategorized
New wind-power agreement is Austin Energy’s cheapest
A wind-power purchase agreement going to the City Council Thursday for approval will not only allow Austin Energy to reach a key renewable energy goal four years ahead of time, it will be the cheapest wind energy the utility has ever purchased, Austin Energy officials say. It also may be the last wind power project […]