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Posts Tagged ‘Austin’

Solar Tint: the Fig Newton for my Energy Efficiency Blues

Posted in Efficiency, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on June 8, 2009 |

While I’m still a little grumpy and out of sorts because the Lege didn’t pass any major energy efficiency legislation this session, I feel a little better after our office got some solar tint put on our windows on Thursday.  My office used to be a heat box.  The tint is really impressive.  I can feel the difference already.

Window Tint 6-4-09

Andy and Sarah's office, After & Before

Our utility bill will go down now, because we’re using less energy to keep the office cool.  It will also make our office more comfortable until we take the ultimate step in worker productivity: business hammocks.

If your business is in Austin, Austin Energy has a rebate for solar film or solar screens.  CPS Energy in San Antonio’s got ’em too.  Check to see if your utility offers a rebate.  If they don’t, maybe someone should tell them their customers want one, eh?

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Sometimes your leaders listen: Lloyd Doggett and the Safe Markets Development Act

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on May 28, 2009 |

We’ve been disappointed by the process that the American Clean Energy and Security Act has gone through recently, so a few weeks ago I went to go see my Congressman during his “neighborhood office hours” (at the Randall’s at the corner of William Cannon and MoPac) and talk to him about climate change.  Then this morning  I opened up my email inbox to find a communique from Congressman Lloyd Doggett.

Needless to say, it made me happy, so I’m sharing it with all of you.  This should serve as an example– contact your leaders and tell them how you feel about issues like climate change.  They do listen!  (Or if they don’t– make them!)

I also think his ideas about the “Safe Markets Development” would be a major improvement to any climate bill.  Read on to find out that experts also think it’s a good idea!

Full text after the jump….

doggett banner

May 28, 2009

Mr. Andrew Wilson

5xxx Little Creek Trl

Austin, Texas 78744

Dear Andy:

Knowing of our shared interest in fighting global warming and creating a robust green jobs economy, I would like to update you about my work in Washington.

This is an exciting time for those of us who have long wanted to make renewable energy affordable. Never before has there been such a push from both politicians and concerned citizens like you to get something done.

We cannot allow the fossil fuel special interests to blacken our chances at achieving a strong, clean energy economy in the same way that they blacken our skies. It is critical that the climate legislation this Congress produces ensure both price stability and environmental integrity.  To this end, I have introduced the Safe Markets Development Act. I designed this act to

-Cap carbon pollution;

-Head off market manipulation;

-And incentivize renewable energy technology.

I have also introduced the Green Transit Act, which would require metropolitan planning organizations to consider greenhouse gas emissions in long-range transportation plans and transportation improvement programs. Transportation is an integral factor in the transition to a clean energy (more…)

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Early Voting for Austin Municipal Elections

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on May 1, 2009 |

Election day for Austin municipal elections (city council and mayor) is May 9th, but early voting is going on NOW through Tuesday, May 5th.

Election day you can only vote at your specified location, but during early voting you can vote at any polling location.  A list of Travis County voting locations can be found here.

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ReEnergize Texas’ Green Fee Bill Passes Senate Committee 5-0

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 29, 2009 |

Original post found at the ReEnergize Texas blog, courtesy of Trevor Lovell:

At a hearing of the Texas Senate Committee on Higher Education today SB 2182, known as the green fee bill, “was reported favorably to the Calendars Committee by unanimous vote, clearing another hurdle on its way to becoming law.

Only two weeks ago the bill was looking badly wounded after staff working for Higher Education Committee Chairwoman Zaffirini (D-Laredo) noted “philosphical concerns” with the bill’s statewide approach to approving environmental service fees, prompting bill author Sen. Eliot Shapleigh (D-El Paso) to pull the bill from a scheduled hearing. In response and virtually overnight, ReEnergize Texas mobilized an Earth Week campaign, generating constituent phone calls from El Paso, Austin, San Antonio, College Station, and elsewhere throughout the state.

Aggie Adrienne Jones (seen here talking to US Rep. Lloyd Doggett) sent a letter supporting SB 2182

Aggie Adrienne Jones (seen here talking to US Rep. Lloyd Doggett) sent a letter supporting SB 2182

Walking into the Senate Higher Education Committee office on Earth Day, ReEnergize Texas Director Trevor Lovell was greeted by staff holding ironic smiles and saying “Our phones have been ringing off the hook… you wouldn’t have anything to do with that, would you?”
Adrienne Jones, seen here talking to US Congressman Lloyd Doggett, sent a letter supportin SB 2182

Aggie Adrienne Jones (seen here talking to US Rep. Lloyd Doggett) sent a letter supporting SB 2182.

By the following Monday SB 2182 had been set for a Wednesday hearing. Students from UT Pan America, South Texas College, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and UT Austin wrote letters to the members of the committee, asking them to support the bill. (more…)

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Too Much Fun this Week

Posted in Coal, Global Warming, Toxics, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 15, 2009 |

social-calendarThere is too much fun going on in the next few days… I can’t handle it.  I wish I could be multiple places at once… and influence climate change legislation by sheer will power.. and attach documents to e-mails telepathically.  Ah well, if wishes were horses, I’d have gotten that pony when I was six.

Here’s a quick breakdown of all the good stuff going on over the next couple days:

Old Settler’s Music Festival, Thursday March 16 – Sunday March 20

Old Settler’s Music Festival is a nationally known music festival featuring the best in roots and Americana music. The festival is held in the gorgeous Texas hill country, at the height of the Bluebonnet and wildflower season. Old Settler’s Music Festival offers great music and activities for the whole family.

The Festival is held at Salt Lick Pavilion and Camp Ben McCulloch, just minutes from Austin, located 11 miles south of Highway 290 West on Farm Road 1826.

Public Citizen is an official sponsor of the event, so keep your eyes out for our table, banners, and slide-shows in between sets.  We hope to live blog the festivities, so be on the lookout for artist interviews and sneak peaks of shows.  And don’t forget your sunscreen, that hill country sun can be brutal!

Fighting Goliath screening, Thursday April 16

When: Thursday, April 16 at 7:00pm

Where: St. Andrew’s Presbyterian, 14311 Wellsport Drive (one block west of the Wells Branch exit off of I-40).

Narrated by Robert Redford and produced by The Redford Center at the Sundance Preserve and Alpheus Media, FIGHTING GOLIATH: TEXAS COAL WARS follows the story of Texans fighting a high-stakes battle for clean air. The film introduces the unlikely partners-mayors, ranchers, CEOs, community groups, legislators, lawyers, and citizens-that have come together to oppose the construction of 19 conventional coal-fired power plants that were slated to be built in Eastern and Central Texas and that were being fast-tracked by the Governor. (34 minutes)

Public Citizen’s Ryan Rittenhosue will do a short presentation on Texas’ current coal threat and have a Q&A session afterward.

Environmental Justice & the Multicultural City: The Transformative Role of Urban Planning City Forum, Friday, April 17

People of color and low-income communities have disproportionately suffered from the environmental burdens generated by consumption and production choices made by others. Responding to these injustices, neighborhood activists have been fighting for over 30 years for the right to live, work, and play in healthy environments. In this City Forum, the panelists will share their insights from research and activist work, and discuss the potential role of planning educators, students and practitioners in addressing environmental justice concerns. (more…)

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Voter Registration Deadline and Environmental Candidate Forum this Thursday

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 8, 2009 |

austincityhallWant to vote in the upcoming City of Austin Municipal Elections?  The deadline to vote in the May 9th elections is this Thursday, March 9th.

Says the Statesman:

To be eligible to vote for mayor or city council members or ballot initiatives in Travis County communities, you must mail a registration application to the Travis County Registrar. Those already registered to vote in Travis County do not have to re-apply.

Residents of Austin and other Travis County cities can find a registration application at the Travis County Tax Assessor/Collector’s website or by calling 238-8683. Some parts of North Austin are actually in Williamson County; those voters can obtain applications at www.wilco.org or by calling 943-1630.

To vote in Texas, you must be a U.S. citizen, live in the county you register, be at least 18 years old on Election Day, not have been convicted of a felony, and not have been declared mentally incapacitated by a court of law, according to a release from the City of Austin.

Want to see where the candidates stand on environmental issues?  Come to a candidate forum focused on sustainability issues this Thursday, March 9 at 5:30 pm at City Hall. (more…)

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CPS and San Antonio: You can’t both be right…

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 2, 2009 |

Greg Harman at the San Antonio Current broke this story a few days back and I just feel like we have to comment:

As Washington strains under the weight of industry and environmental lobbyists seeking to influence the outcome of what would be our first national climate bill, CPS Energy has been quietly working the angles on Capitol Hill to keep the coal power the city has come to rely on cheap for consumers in the short term. So-called “cheap” power is the mandate the utility operates under, after all.

Too bad that mandate is now at odds with the survival of the earth as we know it and, quite possibly, our survival as a city and a nation.

…

Responding to an Open Records request submitted by the Current, a CPS Energy legal staffer wrote that the City-owned utility has spent $91,700 lobbying in the past year “in the attempt to influence U.S. climate policy.”

According to Zandra Pulis, senior legal counsel at CPS, the utility has also spent about $67,657 in membership dues to the Climate Policy Group, an industry group it joined in September of 2006 that lobbies Congress against limiting carbon emissions under cap-and-trade legislation. An effort that, to this point, has been remarkably successful.

…

All told, CPS has spent $2.56 million on lobbyists (since 1999) working the statehouse and the Capitol, according to Pulis.

That’s right — CPS has spent millions of YOUR dollars on lobbying, much of which has gone to try to argue climate change isn’t happening.

Look, I understand that CPS has a mission to produce inexpensive electricity for San Antonio residents and business.  That’s a good thing.  But the facts are these:

1- Climate change is happening.  But even if it wasn’t, everything we need to do to solve it is something that we would want to be to doing anyway.  We need to start living with the fact that political consensus has developed in Washington.  Sooner or later, we’re going to have to  start paying for our greenhouse gas pollution, so we’d better start figuring out how to get our energy from non-polluting sources. (more…)

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Daddy Coal Shakes Finger at Texas Youth

Posted in Coal, Global Warming, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 30, 2009 |

3400399050_de63905770We’re already getting push-back from coal industry on account of the ReEnergize Texas Rally at the capitol Monday morning.  When the coal industry’s “clean coal” PR machine is running scared and feels the need to release official press releases… you’re doin’ it right.

Original post found at Burnt Orange Report:

This weekend 170+ students from more than 25 colleges and five high schools descended on Austin for the ReEnergize Texas Summit to demand bold clean energy solutions.

The students held a rally at the Texas Capitol Monday morning and followed up with more than 50 visits to their legislators. Students rallied behind calls to end dependence on coal and nuclear power and to create new green jobs with investments in wind, solar and energy efficiency.

While the event went largely unnoticed by the media, the coal industry was apparently watching. The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity issued a statement following the event:

“The Re-energize Texas Summit rallies behind laudable goals including the continued development of renewable energy sources and increased energy efficiency measures; however the group’s support of legislation to place a moratorium on new coal plants in Texas is misguided, economically unfeasible and environmentally unnecessary,” said Joe Lucas, Senior Vice President of Communications at ACCCE.

The ACCCE statement appears to come in response to the students’ support of legislation placing a temporary moratorium on coal-fired power plants without carbon capture and sequestration (SB 126, sponsored by state Sen. Rodney Ellis and its companion bill HB 4384, sponsored by Rep. Allen Vaught).

According to the National Wildlife Federation’s Praween Dayananda:

“Halting the construction of proposed coal plants will help curb climate change and protect local communities from dangerous health impacts. Texas has incredible potential to produce renewable energy, clean up its skies, and become a leader in the new energy economy.”

Speakers at the rally that scared the coal industry were Senator Leticia Van de Putte, Representative Tara Rios Ybarra, Doug Lewin from Senator Ellis’ office and Public Citizen’s own Director Tom “Smitty” Smith.

For more information about the summit, visit www.reenergizetexas.org.

Check out more photos from the rally and more from the ReEnergize Texas Flickr photo pool.

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Texas to Receive Additional $208 Million for Energy Efficiency, thanks Feds!

Posted in Efficiency, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 26, 2009 |

Breaking, wicked-sweet news from the U.S. Department of Energy:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 26, 2009

Obama Administration Announces Additional $208,759,900 for Local Energy Efficiency Improvements in Texas

Block Grants to Support Jobs, Cut Energy Bills, and Increase Energy Independence

WASHINGTON – Vice President Joe Biden and Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced plans to invest $3.2 billion in energy efficiency and conservation projects in U.S. cities, counties, states, territories, and Native American tribes. This includes $208,759,900 for state, county and city efforts in Texas. A detailed breakdown is below.

Today’s announcement builds on an investment of $545,757,732 in Texas weatherization and energy funding announced by the Administration on March 12th and detailed at energy.gov/recovery.

“These investments will save taxpayer dollars and create jobs in communities around the country,” said Vice President Biden. “Local leaders will have the flexibility in how they put these resources to work – but we will hold them accountable for making the investments quickly and wisely to spur the local economy and cut energy use.”

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program, funded by President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will provide formula grants for projects that reduce total energy use and fossil fuel emissions, and improve energy efficiency.

The funding will support energy audits and energy efficiency retrofits in residential and commercial buildings, the development and implementation of advanced building codes and inspections, and the creation of financial incentive programs for energy efficiency improvements. Other activities eligible for use of grant funds include transportation programs that conserve energy, projects to reduce and capture methane and other greenhouse gas emissions from landfills, renewable energy installations on government buildings, energy efficient traffic signals and street lights, deployment of Combined Heat and Power and district heating and cooling systems, and others.

Of that sum, the City of Austin would get $7,492,70, Dallas $12,787,300, Houston $22,765,100, San Antonio $12,897,00, Georgetown $201,900, New Braunsfels $498,200, and San Marcos $498,100.  The State Energy Office would also get $45,638,100.

That’s a lot of weather stripping and double panes:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pezKEkBIhqA]

A detailed breakdown of funding to state, city, and county governments after the jump.

(more…)

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ReEnergize Texas Summit

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 25, 2009 |

summit_iconOver the past three years, our country has experienced a paradigm shift. All across the nation, diverse voices are beginning to rise to the climate challenge, and they are all calling for action. At this moment our generation has the opportunity to offer a bold new vision of our energy future.

On March 28-30 2009, at Huston-Tillotson University, one of the oldest Historically Black Universities in the state, will host the second-ever ReEnergize Texas Summit. Young people from across the state of Texas will converge in Austin for the largest youth climate conference ever held in Texas.

In the first two days of the summit hundreds of young people will be engaged by speakers, workshops, and panels addressing the many aspects of climate change. They will meet in regional groups to network for future actions, and they will hear political leaders discuss their positions on climate change. On Monday, March 30th, these young people will march from Huston-Tillotson in East Austin across Interstate 35, a long-recognized racial barrier in the city of Austin, and will walk to the Capitol Building where they will lobby the State Legislature for climate change legislation.

Keynote speakers include:

speaker_list

The summit is a primarily  youth-focused event, but people from all walks of life are welcome — especially to the Lobby Day Monday! For more information on ReEnergize Texas, the conference agenda, and to register, visit http://www.reenergizetexas.org/

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So You Want to be a Successful Lobbyist?

Posted in Campaign Finance, Good Government, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 10, 2009 |

Here’s How!

Last week we had an intern training session, and many of the tips and tricks of lobbying we learned would be helpful for anyone who would like to get involved in activism. Here are a few things to remember when planning your future as a Successful Lobbyist. picture-16

First, always remember that lobbying is about strategy. Successful actions are rarely haphazard or random. When devising your strategy, be very clear about what it is you are trying to accomplish. Is it reasonable? Is it winnable? Is it focused? Your strategy will be the foundation for your tactics, so make sure you have it down.

Now, who can give you what you want? And to whom are they accountable? The best way to tackle this is through a strategy called Power Mapping, in which you consider the power relationships between your opposition and those who ultimately make the decisions. Once you narrow this down, you can begin to devise how you will reach those people, and how you can persuade them to take action towards your goal.

Because the point is to change or readjust the perspective of the opposing party, you must first begin to understand their motivations… (more…)

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Austin City Council Votes for Nation’s Largest Photovoltaic Array

Posted in Energy, Renewables, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 5, 2009 |

2_18_09partyThis afternoon the Austin City Council moved unanimously to approve Item 16 on the agenda, the purchasing power agreement with Gemini Solar Development Company to build a 30 MW solar plant at the Webberville tract.  That means that by the end of 2011, Austin should be the proud home of the nation’s largest utility scale photovoltaic installation.  This is a tremendous milestone for both the City and Austin Energy that will set us up as a leader in solar energy, create jobs, attract industry, and protect our citizens from volatile future energy prices while curbing our global warming emissions.

Lee Leffingwell made the motion to approve item 16 with three additional recommendations.  The first direction was to include a provision that any federal stimulus funds, rebates, or incentives recovered would be passed on to Austin, rather than kept by Gemini.  The second was to create a new task force to review future energy projects.  The task force, he promised, would consist of diverse stakeholders and not be weighted in terms of energy usage.  This is an important point, as several representatives from the city’s large scale industrial users such as Spansion and the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) specifically requested that future stakeholder meetings be based upon the size of user consumption– meaning that in future energy projects, city council dialogue would be dominated even more than ever by large industrials.  As David Power, Public Citizen’s Deputy Director, testified, that sounds a little too much like, “for every dollar I spend, I get a vote.”  Cheers to Lee Leffingwell for insisting on a more inclusive process.

The third and final additional direction was, as expected, to roll the power purchase agreement into Green Choice, so that citizens would be able to voluntarily opt into a program to buy solar power at a locked-in price. Councilman Mike Martinez stated that he would be more than happy to be the first person to sign up for such a program, except that Leffingwell already called “shotgun” on that distinction.

Council members Sheryl Cole, Laura Morrison, and Randi Shade all made additional comments in support of the plant, stating that this was a tough decision to make in hard economic times but that this solar plant, far from a luxury item, was an important element of Austin’s long term energy goals.

The Austin City Council has earned Public Citizen’s most heartfelt appreciation for proving itself, once again, a renewable energy leader.  We especially respect the time and effort that the Council and its staff put into this contentious process, and look forward to working with them on future projects.

We also encourage Austinites to express their thanks to the Mayor and City Council for approving this historic first step towards our renewable energy future.

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City Delays on Solar Plant Vote

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 13, 2009 |

austin-skyline-bannerAs expected, the Austin City Council made the decision to delay the vote on Austin Energy’s proposed solar plant until March 5th.  Council Member Mike Martinez wanted to put it off longer, but since the bid for the plant will actually expire just seven days after this March meeting, the council agreed unanimously to have the final vote in three weeks time.

The foremost explanation for this delay was to give more time for the public participation process… though I think it is important to note that the “public” we’re referring to here is chiefly the city’s largest industrial rate-payers.  The general Austin public has already shown its colors on this issue.  According to recent surveys conducted by Austin Energy (and presented yesterday morning by Roger Duncan, general manager of the utility), Austinites want much more solar.  At 30 MW, the proposed solar plant would be the largest utility-scale photovoltaic array in the nation, and the 6th biggest solar plant in the world.  From where I’m sitting, that looks like just what the doctor ordered.

Large-scale users are up in arms because, since they use so much more energy, they think they’re going to be particularly hard hit by any slight rate increase.  Due to information that surfaced during this meeting, I am inclined not to feel terribly sorry for these folks.  If you’ll just stick with me here, everything will be illuminated.  I promise it’ll be good.

The council had already decided to delay the vote before they even entered the chamber, but listened to presentations and public comment anyway.  First on the agenda was Roger Duncan, general manager of Austin Energy.

Roger started out by laying out the basics of the proposed solar plant and how it would fit in with the City’s strategic energy plan.  The City plans to get 100 MW of its power from solar energy by 2020.  The first goal in this process was to install 15 MW of solar power by 2007.  We missed that stepping stone — Roger said we currently have 1.5 MW of solar installed on rooftops throughout Austin.  The next goal in line is to get 30 MW by 2010.  If the proposed project is approved, and built within the expected 18 months, Austin will be right on schedule to meet that goal. (more…)

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Nuclear Falls Out at Austin City Hall

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 12, 2009 |

Hip-hip- HOORAY! After a series of informative, provocative presentations and public comments this morning, the Austin City Council voted unanimously to DECLINE participation in the South Texas Nuclear Project’s expansion plan.

Austin has a 16% stake in the current South Texas Nuclear Project, and has been questioning for months whether it should be a financial participant in new plans to double the capacity of that plant.  Months ago a consultant firm, Worley Parsons, was hired by Austin Energy to investigate whether this would be a good idea for Austin’s future.

First to present was Roger Duncan, general manager of Austin Energy.  He gave a presentation on the consulting firm’s recommendations.  We learned the following:

  • The proposed expansion would generate an additional 436 MW for the City of Austin.  Estimated cost: $2 billion.
  • Under a worst case scenario (of cost overruns, delayed construction, etc), power generated from the new boilers would cost 13 cents/kwh.  Under the best of circumstances (everything was beautiful and nothing hurt), electricity would cost 6 cents/kwh.  The firm’s most realistic, expected scenario would price out at around 8 and a half cents/kwh — however, it should be noted that Worley Parsons is a pro-nuclear consulting firm, so these are likely the most conservative of estimates.

The consulting firm concluded that with only a 16% stake in the project, Austin Energy would have insufficient owner protection from the scheduling, cost, contractor and regulatory risks involved in the project.  For example, if significant cost overruns did occur, Austin Energy would not have any vote or say in the matter of how to proceed.  Furthermore, large capital costs would be associated with the project throughout 2016 — but none of that cost risk would be within Austin Energy’s control.  The firm also warned of a potential downgrade of Austin Energy’s bonds because of the extended time period of debt issuance without cost recovery.

Because of the significant amount of unacceptable risk associated with the the expansion project, Worley Parsons recommended that Austin NOT participate.  As an Austin Energy spokesman Mr. Duncan announced that the utility had reached the same conclusion with the additional reasoning that Austin has no need for the 432 MW of base-load power that the project would eventually supply.  We wouldn’t even know what to with all that power.  Austin Energy also expressed concerns (rightly so!) that the nuclear waste issue remains unresolved. (more…)

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Live from City Hall, its Thuuuuuuuursday Morning!

Posted in Energy, Nuclear, Renewables, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 12, 2009 |

austincityhall1

Good morning, folks!  I’m sitting in on the Austin City Council meeting this morning.  Here at Public Citizen, we are largely concerned with two important items on today’s agenda:

Item 3: Will the City of Austin invest in the South Texas Nuclear Power Plant?

Item 16: Will the City invest in 30 megawatts of solar power from the proposed solar plant near Webberville?

Word on the street (and by street, I mean city hall) is that some members of the Council would like to postpone the vote on the solar plant.  The big question here is how long the vote will be postponed.  If the vote is pushed back a few weeks to give everyone a little more time to look at the impacts of this new project, that’s not really a problem… but if we are talking months here, the delay may actually be long enough to kill the project.

The Council will listen to citizen testimony before they decide to postpone (or not — though it is highly unlikely that the council will deny a request to delay the vote) and for how long (waiting with baited breath!).

Stick around, I’ll keep you posted!

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