LCRA board names first female general manager
Becky Motal has just been named the first female to become general manager of the Lower Colorado River Authority in its 76-year history. Motal, executive manager of external affairs, was chosen by a...
View ArticleERCOT calls for energy conservation this weekend
Image via Wikipedia Its predicted that the entire state will have record temperatures this weekend. Please take all measures to avoid using unnecessary energy. They might have a hurricane on the east...
View ArticleDrought and coal-fired power plants don’t mix
According to the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), at the end of summer 2011, Texas had suffered the driest 10 months since record keeping began in 1895. Rivers, like the Brazos, actually dried...
View ArticleSolar Backers Rally as Public Comment Period Ends
Advocates fault PUC for turning a blind eye to industry as Texas falls behind Solar energy backers rallied outside the Texas Public Utility Commission [last] week seeking enforcement of a...
View ArticleTonight – 6 p.m. – Defend Citizen Control of Austin Energy
While the proposed resolution to give Austin Energy governance responsibilities to an appointed board has been taken off the “consent agenda”, it’s still alive and kicking. City Council will take up...
View ArticlePublic Citzen’s Guide to Amending the PUC Sunset Bill
Public Citizen’s positions on the pre-filed amendments to the PUC Sunset bill can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/Guide_to_Amend_PUC_Sunset_bill_HB1600 or in the table below. Support These Amendments to...
View ArticleAustin City Council about to give Austin’s municipal utility away to special...
Today, Thursday (April 11th) at 4 PM Austin City Council will vote on ordinance that would hand control of the city’s municipal utility, Austin Energy, to an unelected board chosen by corporate...
View ArticleCPS Energy’s Unelected Board Announces Plan That Will Squash Small-Scale...
If you weren’t already convinced that Austin would be misguided to hand over governance and oversight of our municipal electric utility, Austin Energy, to an unelected board, CPS Energy’s unelected...
View ArticleTexas Legislature Attacking Austin Democracy
While Austin City Council continues to move forward with an ordinance to transfer governing authority of Austin Energy from our elected City Council to an unelected board, Austin democracy is being...
View ArticleDiscussion of Austin Energy Governance Ordinance at City Council Abruptly...
Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell just postponed a major agenda item (#15), regarding an un-elected board taking over Austin Energy. Numerous citizens were planning to attend the council meeting tonight to...
View ArticleAustin City Council Heard Its Citizens
UPDATE This morning, Mayor Lee Leffingwell pulled Item 29 from the consent agenda indefinately. Item 71 has been set for 7PM May 22, 2013 Our basic premise that governance by an elected body is more...
View ArticlePublic Citizen’s Legislative Wrap-Up: Where We Made Progress & Avoided...
With the regular session behind us and energy and environmental issues not likely to find a place in the special session, it’s a good time to look at what we accomplished. Our wins came in two forms –...
View ArticleStateImpact on the continuing Texas Drought
StateImpact Texas, a reporting project of local public media and NPR, has provided us with an excellent overview of the continuing drought in Texas. Today, 12.2% of the state is in exceptional drought...
View ArticleAustin Solar Victories
Many of you probably remember our concern when Austin Energy proposed slashing the solar budget by 42% for fiscal year 2014 – which we’re now in. But public outcry and our meetings with Austin City...
View ArticleAustin Energy Cutting Solar Credits
Is Austin Energy joining the war on solar? Bit by bit, our publicly owned, nationally renowned, supposedly green electric utility is trying to roll back programs that support customer owned solar....
View ArticleFines, Follow Fun Filled Freeze
Remember sitting at home during February 2 of 2011 as the temperatures dropped and the power kept getting turned off. As millions of Texas sat in the cold and dark Luminant, Texas largest power...
View ArticleI Bet You Actually Care About Austin Energy’s Generation Plan
Updating the the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2020 to become the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2024 probably doesn’t sound super...
View ArticleWhere Are We Going, Austin Energy?
Austin Energy Ratepayers Rally for an Accelerated Transition to Affordable Renewable EnergyPhoto by Al Braden Read this post, then click here if you want to submit comments online to Austin Energy....
View ArticleWind Energy – Happy Environment, Happy Wallet
In a recent blog post, I reported on the completion of a large amount of CREZ transmission lines – infrastructure that incentivizes the production of wind energy – here in Texas. While the discussion...
View ArticleThe People of Austin Will Have a Voice in the Austin Energy Generation Plan...
Good governance advocates got a win at City Hall today when the Austin City Council approved a resolution to create the Austin Generation Resource Planning Task Force. The task force will examine...
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