People came out in hordes on Thursday to urge Austin City Council members to adopt a more aggressive renewable energy plan that would put Austin on track for 100 percent renewable energy by 2030.
Although council will not vote on a recommendation by the Electric Utility Commission to increase its renewable energy goal to 65 percent by 2027, hundreds of people converged on Austin City Hall to demand the council adopt a more aggressive plan that would put the entire city at 100 percent renewable by 2030.
Austin City Hall's Council Chambers were at capacity on Thursday and residents voiced strong support for a 100 percent renewable plan.[/caption]
The Electric Utility Commission’s recommendation would place the city on a more vigorous pursuit than its current track, which has the city at 55 percent renewable energy by 2025. However, a majority of the council’s audience, which was among the largest in recent memory, pressed council to give the recommendation more teeth.
Thursday’s debate dealt with affordability versus environmental benefit. The commission’s recommendation of 65 percent by 2027 would cost $278 million and produce a rate increase between 4 and 13.5 percent. Austin Energy calculated that a push to 75 percent by 2027 would cost $315 and produce a rate increase between 4 and 15.5 percent.
Robert Cullick, communications director of Austin Energy, said the service provider supports the Electric Utility Commission’s recommendation, but a push to 100 percent by 2030 would be unaffordable.
Kaiba White, president of Solar Austin, said the 2030 goal is about affordability as well.
“Yes, affordability matters, but it is not affordable when people are getting flooded out of their homes,” White said. “This is about affordability on a whole other level. This is now. It would have been nice if we acted 10, 20 years ago, but we did not.”
There was a rally outside of City Hall prior to the discussion; a line of people trying to get into the Council Chambers stretched around the west side of the building and security guards had to work to keep Council Chambers from exceeding capacity.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—
EPA—recently recognized Austin for its renewable energy use. The city ranked fifth in the country among local government purchasers of renewable energy.
Austin City Hall's Council Chambers were at capacity on Thursday and residents voiced strong support for a 100 percent renewable plan.[/caption]
The Electric Utility Commission’s recommendation would place the city on a more vigorous pursuit than its current track, which has the city at 55 percent renewable energy by 2025. However, a majority of the council’s audience, which was among the largest in recent memory, pressed council to give the recommendation more teeth.
Thursday’s debate dealt with affordability versus environmental benefit. The commission’s recommendation of 65 percent by 2027 would cost $278 million and produce a rate increase between 4 and 13.5 percent. Austin Energy calculated that a push to 75 percent by 2027 would cost $315 and produce a rate increase between 4 and 15.5 percent.
Robert Cullick, communications director of Austin Energy, said the service provider supports the Electric Utility Commission’s recommendation, but a push to 100 percent by 2030 would be unaffordable.
Kaiba White, president of Solar Austin, said the 2030 goal is about affordability as well.
“Yes, affordability matters, but it is not affordable when people are getting flooded out of their homes,” White said. “This is about affordability on a whole other level. This is now. It would have been nice if we acted 10, 20 years ago, but we did not.”
There was a rally outside of City Hall prior to the discussion; a line of people trying to get into the Council Chambers stretched around the west side of the building and security guards had to work to keep Council Chambers from exceeding capacity.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—EPA—recently recognized Austin for its renewable energy use. The city ranked fifth in the country among local government purchasers of renewable energy.
