On a blustery and brilliantly sunny Texas winter day a couple hundred Central Texas citizens, that included officials and solar enthusiasts, gathered on what had been an empty 380 acre field only three years ago to usher in a new era of “drought-proof” energy for the City of Austin. On Friday, January 6, 2012, Austin [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Austin Energy’
Austin Energy drought proofs its energy with new Webberville Solar Project
Posted in Global Warming, Renewables, solar, tagged Austin Energy, Renewables, solar power, Webberville solar project on January 6, 2012 | 5 Comments »
Austin Energy’s Proposed Rate Increases Hurt Austin’s Residential Consumers and Continues the City’s Corporate Welfare Program
Posted in Global Warming, tagged Austin Energy, austin texas, rate increase on September 16, 2011 | 3 Comments »
Consumer, low income and environmental groups say the low-income and low energy use customers will bear a disproportionate share of the proposed Austin Energy rate increase and are calling on Austin Energy customers to attend the second of four hearings of the Electric Utility Commission (EUC) on Monday night, September 19th at the Austin Energy [...]
Heat Wave Renews Call for Renewable Energy
Posted in Global Warming, tagged austin chronicle, Austin Energy, Energy, Public Citizen, Texas on August 11, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
At the height of the energy crisis last week, Public Citizen’s Texas director, Tom “Smitty” Smith, told the Austin Chronicle, “Austin Energy was one of the first cities in the United States to really aggressively try to do this kind of load management, and days like this show how effective it is in preventing blackouts,” [...]
Could Austin make another bad deal with STP
Posted in Energy, tagged Austin Energy, austin texas, Energy, nrg energy, Nuclear on February 6, 2011 | 1 Comment »
On January 25th, Juan Garza, President of Advanced Technology with NRG Energy, Inc. sent a letter to Austin Energy general manager, Larry Weis. The contents of that letter are outlined below. Two months ago, I informally delivered a proposal to you for Austin Energy and NRG Energy to explore a purchase power agreement from the [...]
Austin poor spend much of their income on electricity
Posted in Efficiency, Energy, tagged Austin, Austin Energy, conservation, Efficient energy use, electricity, Energy, Energy Efficiency, Household, poverty, Technology on October 28, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Austin Energy hired a consultant to help determine how its rates compare to those of other utilities in preparation for its plan to substantially raise electricity rates in 2012. The work is ongoing, but an eye-opening statistic has already emerged. Estimates indicate that the average US household’s energy costs are equal to 7% of household income, [...]
STOP: Stop Tarsands Oil Pipelines – Voices From Texas Landowners
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Tarsands, Toxics, tagged Air Quality, Austin Energy, Keystone Pipeline, Oil sands, pipeline, Tar Sands, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on October 6, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Meet Audrey and Jim Thornton, two of the landowners who have the threat of a Canadian tarsands pipeline proposed to run through their land. Tarsands crude is many times more concentrated with toxins and carcinogens than typical, Texas, crude oil. Like just about every other land-owner along the pipeline route, the Thorntons have been threatened [...]
Austin Energy offers consumers assistance with charging stations for their new EVs!
Posted in Air Quality, Consumers, Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, Renewables, Transportation, tagged Air Quality, Austin, Austin Energy, Carbon Dioxide, Charging station, Electric vehicle, emissions reductions, EV, EV incentives, EVs, Global Warming, plug-in hybrids, Plug-In Vehicle, Public Citizen, transportation on October 6, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
In the coming weeks you might notice a sleek, new Nissan LEAF or Chevy Volt cruising past you on the road. Many of the major car companies are introducing electric, plug-in vehicles (EVs) designed for the American family market. They range in cost from about $20,000-$45,000 and are small and practical. Not all EVs run [...]
Smitty’s statement on former PEC/AE GM Juan Garza’s new nuclear job
Posted in Co-op Reform, Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, Nuclear, Renewables, tagged Austin Energy, Juan Garza, nrg energy, South Texas Project, Tom "Smitty" Smith on September 21, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Statement of Tom “Smitty” Smith: We are shocked to hear the news that former Austin Energy and Pedernales Electric Cooperative General Manager Juan Garza has taken a job promoting nuclear power with New Jersey-based NRG Energy. While Garza rightfully acknowledges the danger climate change poses to Texas, nuclear power’s life cycle carbon footprint, exorbitant cost [...]
Austin Energy and the EGRSO: EUC Chairman Schmandt weighs in
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Good Government, tagged austin city council, Austin Energy, EGRSO, electric utility commission, facebook, Friday Night Lights, heliovolt, Home Depot, LegalZoom, phillip schmandt on September 13, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
For those in Austin who don’t know, the EGRSO (the Economic Growth and Redevelopment Services Office… I had to look it up too) gets a substantial portion of its funding from the municipally-owned utility Austin Energy. What does this office do? From its city website: [The EGRSO] implements the City of Austin Economic Development Policy [...]
Smitty: Austin and San Antonio took different paths when choosing new electric utility management
Posted in Consumers, Efficiency, Good Government, Nuclear, tagged Austin, Austin Energy, CPS Energy, public citizen texas, San Antonio, Tom "Smitty" Smith, transparency on July 23, 2010 | 3 Comments »
This is Andy checking in from Vegas and Netroots Nation: sheesh, we leave Texas for a few days and the wheels start to come off the bus, don’t they? Of course, our fearless and tireless leader, Tom “Smitty” Smith is there to handle everything, as he has done for the last 2 and a half [...]
Austin Environmental and Consumer Advocates say “Try Again” to Austin Energy General Manager Candidate choices
Posted in Energy, Good Government, tagged Austin Energy, climate change, coal plant, Energy Efficiency, Global Warming on July 1, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
After a several hour closed-door meeting between the two remaining candidates for Austin Energy’s General Manager position and some of Austin’s best environmental, energy, and consumer advocates, all of the groups represented came to the same conclusion: neither of these candidates was a right fit for Austin. In fact, former City Councilwoman Brigid Shea told [...]
Three Finalists for Austin Energy GM Announced!
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, green jobs, tagged Austin, Austin Energy, Energy Efficiency, green jobs, public citizen texas, Texas on June 17, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
From the Austin Business Journal: The finalists include Ronald Davis, Larry Weis and David Wright. Ronald Davis (Burbank, Calif.) Davis has worked 30 years in the electric industry and has led Burbank Water and Power for the last 12 years. Burbank Water and Power is a municipal utility in urban Southern California with a 2009 [...]
Celebrating Earth Day: City Council passes AE Generation Plan
Posted in Global Warming, tagged austin city council, Austin Energy, Austin Energy Generation Plan, clean energy for austin, Cyrus Ree, david power, earth day, energy affordability, Energy Efficiency, matt johnson, Public Citizen, public citizen texas, Ryan Rittenhous on April 22, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
YeeeeeeeeeeeeeeHaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Today is a great day. Not only is this the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, but Austin City Council just gave every Texan a reason to celebrate: Mayor Lee Leffingwell and City Council passed the Austin Energy Generation Plan! After two years of hard work, enormous inclusive cooperation and citizen participation, the council unanimously [...]
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