Despite a rapidly rising population, Austin’s air is significantly less polluted than it was 20 years ago. In a presentation to the Electric Utility Commission on Monday, Andrew Hoekzema, director of regional services at the Capital Area Council of Governments, said that Austin is the only major U.S. city that is meeting national standards in […]
Electric Utility Commission
The advisory body charged with oversight of Austin Energy, the City of Austin’s municipally-owned electric utility.
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Use your judgment
Judge judging the judge… It seems not everyone is a fan of County Judge Sarah Eckhardt’s iron-fisted management of Travis County Commissioners Court meetings. Her refusal last week to allow Commissioner Jeff Travillion to interject a question in the middle of a briefing on the DNA lab fallout led to the Precinct 1 representative’s brief […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy rebate to help renters
The Electric Utility Commission approved a rebate for the Lodge at Stone Oak Ranch apartment complex on April 17. The rebate, requested by Austin Energy, is meant to help fund energy-efficiency improvements at the complex. The proposed rebate is one element of Austin Energy’s Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan, parts of which focus on […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy struggles to fill vacancies with outdated hiring process
Facing a wave of retirement over the next three to five years, Austin Energy urgently needs to revamp its hiring approach, staff told the Electric Utility Commission at its March 20 meeting. “We do very passive recruiting here,” said Chief Financial Officer Mark Dombroski at the meeting. “We need to change that. We need to […]
Posted inEnergy
Holly Power Plant to be officially decommissioned in August, staff reports
Remnants of the Holly Street Power Plant still stand in East Austin, bitter reminders of a facility that spread pollution to nearby residents, but Austin Energy staff assured the Electric Utility Commission at its March 20 meeting that the decommissioning would end in August of this year. The update was prompted by testimony from Gavino […]
Posted inResources
New city contract: ‘death knell’ for private dumpster services?
Bob Gregory, CEO of Texas Disposal Systems, and his son Adam Gregory sounded the alarm at Monday’s Electric Utility Commission meeting concerning the pending authorization of a 36-month city contract with Republic Services, or another qualified bidder, to provide dumpster services for city facilities and special events. The contract came before the commission because Austin […]
Posted inEnergy
Task force to update Austin Energy’s environmental plans
Austin Energy is gearing up for another update to the “Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2025,” the document first approved by City Council in 2007 that outlines how the city-owned utility intends to change in the coming years to reduce pollution and greenhouse emissions while delivering affordable and reliable electricity to […]
Posted inCity Hall
City on course to add 330 electric vehicles by 2020
The city of Austin’s vehicle fleet appears likely to see a large infusion of electric vehicles in the coming years, as part of the city’s goal to become carbon neutral by 2050. The target of Austin Energy and the fleet operations department is to add 330 plug-in electric vehicles by 2020, with acquisitions beginning in […]
Posted inEnergy
AE proposes raising residential service charge
The independent consumer advocate that the city hired to represent the interests of Austin residents and small businesses as it reviews electricity rates is crying foul. John Coffman, who heads the advocate team, accuses Austin Energy, the city-owned utility, of surprising the team with a change to its rate proposal that will increase costs for […]
Posted inEnergy
Updated: Austin Energy puts new gas plant on hold
Austin Energy has put a hold on plans to construct a massive new natural gas plant, to the delight of environmental activists. The utility has determined that the estimated $500 million investment in a new plant would likely be a bad bet because of how low gas prices have dropped in the two years since […]
Posted inEnergy
Consumer advocate: Austin Energy should lower rates for residents
Austin Energy should lower electricity rates for average Austinites, says the independent consumer advocate hired by the city to respond to the rates proposed by the city-owned utility. In testimony Monday to the Electric Utility Commission, Clarence Johnson, the expert witness for the consumer advocate team, said that residential customers and small businesses should get […]
Posted inEnergy
Controversial pilot energy programs don’t make it far
Austin Energy planned to run three pilot programs this year aimed at finding new ways for the city’s ratepayers to pay for electricity, but so far those programs haven’t gained much traction. One of the programs was designed to test the employment of “time of use” rates. Under this system, customers would pay more for […]