Late Friday afternoon, Council Member Bill Spelman asked his colleagues to reconsider their actions on a resolution by Council Member Chris Riley that instructs Austin Energy to greatly increase their renewable resources — specifically solar — and work toward eliminating the Decker Creek Power Plant as a result of the city’s concern about greenhouse gas […]
Resource Generation and Climate Protection Plan
Posted inEnvironment, Local Politics, Resources
Riley resolution passes in chaotic Council finish
Update: An Austin Energy official told the Monitor early Friday morning that they had left Council chambers for home after Council members passed a resolution to recess the meeting until noon today. A twisting, chaotic end to Austin City Council’s Thursday meeting resulted in fast passage of two Austin Energy-related items — one that had […]
Posted inResources
AE officials deeply concerned over Riley resolution
Austin Energy General Manager Larry Weis told the Monitor Tuesday morning that a resolution from Council Member Chris Riley would be a negative for the utility. “This IFC speaks to actually acting, to actually carrying out and acting — and this is a real similar set of circumstances that got us into making a decision […]
Posted inResources
Riley, Tovo resolutions push AE energy agenda
City Council will vote on two energy resolutions this week that would direct the City Manager to task Austin Energy with starting the process for implementing recommendations from the Austin Generation Resource Planning Task Force’s July report, despite the utility’s reservations about its overall affordability. The items are listed on the addendum to Thursday’s regular City […]
Posted inResources
AE responds to task force recommendations
Austin Energy has responded to the Austin Generation Resource Planning Task Force’s wish list of carbon emission goals, calling it “not workable” if the utility is to meet City Council’s yearly affordability targets. Austin Energy Deputy General Manager Cheryl Mele made the statement in a memo released Friday, alongside Austin Energy’s preliminary response to the […]
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 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 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 inResources, Uncategorized
Memo cites major legal hurdles for city to get out of coal plant
The City of Austin faces formidable legal hurdles and potentially significant costs if the City Council decides to sell or shut down the city’s share of the coal-fired Fayette Power Project, according to a new city Law Department memo. Potential problems arise from the city’s participation agreement with the Lower Colorado River Authority on […]
Posted inResources, Uncategorized
Consultant says doubling city’s solar goal do-able but expensive
Should Austin double its already ambitious solar energy goal? It’s a question that has begun to get renewed attention from solar advocates, environmentalists, utility officials and others following a year-old recommendation by the City Council-appointed Local Solar Advisory Committee that the city increase its 2020 solar goal from 200 megawatts to 400 megawatts. […]