Sep 24, 2024 Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee

[00:00:02]

ALL RIGHT.

IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A QUORA HERE IN PERSON, AND WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY REMOTE.

SO IT BEING 9:00 AM

[CALL TO ORDER]

UH, I'M LESLIE POOLE, CHAIR OF THE AUSTIN ENERGY UTILITY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, AND I CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.

WE HAVE A QUORUM.

AND LET'S SEE ON OUR AGENDA, THE FIRST ITEM IS PUBLIC

[Public Communication: General]

AND AMY, I THINK YOU HAVE A LIST OF, UH, HOW MANY SPEAKERS DO WE HAVE FOR US? I DO.

WE HAVE 10 SPEAKERS.

VERY GOOD.

AND THAT'S 30, UH, THAT'S ABOUT 30 MINUTES BECAUSE WE HAVE THREE MINUTES PER SPEAKER.

YES.

SO WOULD YOU, UH, CALL THE NAMES FOR US, PLEASE? SURE.

THANK YOU.

UH, THE FIRST SPEAKER IS JEN KRIEGER, AND AFTER JEN WILL BE AL BRADEN.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

AND I THINK WHILE JEN IS COMING UP, I'LL MENTION THAT AL BRADEN SENT ME AN EMAIL SAYING HE IS NOT ABLE TO MAKE IT TODAY.

AND, UM, HE HAS SENT I THINK EVERYBODY HIS COMMENTS IN AN EMAIL.

SO WE'LL CALL THE NEXT PERSON AFTER AL.

UM, THE NEXT PERSON AFTER JEN WILL NOW BE IRBY FOSTER.

GREAT.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

GOOD MORNING.

YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.

THANK YOU.

GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.

UH, MY NAME IS JEN KRIEGER AND I'M A DISTRICT FOUR RESIDENT.

I'M PROVIDING COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEM THREE.

I HAVE THREE REASONS FOR BEING HERE TODAY.

ONE, TRANSPARENCY CURRENCY.

TWO, HOLDING FIRM ON OUR COMMITMENT TO NO NEW CARBON EMITTING POWER SOURCES.

AND THREE, SHOWING SUPPORT FOR AUSTIN ENERGY'S PROPOSAL TO TRANSITION ITS PROGRAM DESIGN AND EVALUATION TO USE AN AVOIDED GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS METRIC RATHER THAN AVOIDED MEGAWATTS.

FIRST, AS IT RELATES TO TRANSPARENCY, I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE DIRECT AUSTIN ENERGY TO POST ALL RESOURCE PLAN DATA AND MATERIALS THAT ARE PROVIDED TO ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION MEMBERS ON THE AUSTIN ENERGY AND OR EUC WEBSITE.

ONE OF THE ITEMS THAT I HAVE BEEN, I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DISTILL FROM PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS ON THE 2035 RESOURCE PLAN IS IF AND OR HOW AUSTIN ENERGY IS PRICING THE HUMAN AND ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION THAT'S CREATED BY CONTINUING TO OPERATE FOSSIL FUEL GENERATING UNITS AND POTENTIALLY INVESTING IN A NEW GAS TO HYDROGEN COMBUSTION PLANT, WHILE THE PRIMARY ENVIRONMENTAL FOCUS OF THE RESOURCE PLANNING PROCESS IS MEETING OUR GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION GOALS.

PAST RESOURCE PLANS HAVE ALSO INCLUDED CALLS FOR ACCOUNTING FOR THE EMISSIONS IMPACT OF OTHER TYPES OF LOCAL AIR POLLUTANTS, AS WELL AS WATER IMPACTS.

AS OUR REGION FLIRTS WITH NON-ATTAINMENT OF THE FEDERAL AIR QUALITY STANDARD FOR PARTICULATE MATTER AND GROUND LEVEL OZONE, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE CONSIDER THE HUMAN AND FINANCIAL COST OF THESE NON GREENHOUSE GAS POLLUTANTS, AND SIMILARLY, THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND FINANCIAL COSTS OF WATER USE IN A WATER SCARCE REGION.

AUSTIN ENERGY ALSO DOES NOT HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE RESOURCE PLANNING WEBPAGE THAT INCLUDES LINKS TO ALL PAST RESOURCE PLANS AND PROGRESS REPORTS, NOR ARE THESE RESOURCES AVAILABLE IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH.

I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE DIRECT AUSTIN ENERGY TO PROVIDE THIS BASELINE LEVEL OF TRANSPARENCY.

SECOND, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT AUSTIN ENERGY'S ONGOING STUDY OF AS OF ADDING A NEW GAS TO HYDROGEN COMBUSTION PLANT AS PART OF THE CURRENT 2035 RESOURCE PLANNING PROCESS.

THE CURRENT 2030 RESOURCE PLAN, VERY PLAINLY STATES AUSTIN ENERGY WILL NO LONGER PURCHASE CONTRACT FOR OR BUILD LONG-TERM GENERATION OR STORAGE RESOURCES THAT EMIT NEW CARBON, A NEW GAS PLANT, OR REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT ULTIMATELY IS TRANSITIONED TO HYDROGEN, IS AN UNDENIABLE SOURCE OF NEW CARBON.

AND BUILDING A NEW GAS PLANT WILL LOCK IN 30, 40 PLUS YEARS OF NEW FOSSIL FUEL INFRASTRUCTURE.

I ASK THAT CITY COUNCIL REMAIN FIRM AND ITS COMMITMENT FOR NO NEW CARBON POLLUTING POWER SOURCES FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

LASTLY, I WANNA EXPRESS MY SUPPORT FOR AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS TO TRANSITION FROM USING AVOIDED MEGAWATTS TO AVOIDED GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS WHEN DESIGNING AND MEASURING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DEMAND.

SIDE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS. LEADING UTILITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE MAKING THIS SAME EVOLUTION, AND I STRONGLY SUPPORT THIS PROPOSAL TO SUPPORT, UM, HOME AND BUSINESS DECARBONIZATION.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU, MR. RIEGER.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE.

IRBY FOSTER, AND AFTER IRBY WILL BE CRAIG NASER.

THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR IRBY FOSTER, UH, DISTRICT THREE.

I'M HERE TO ASK THE COMMITTEE TO TAKE ACTIONS THAT WOULD ONE, REQUIRE FASTER RESPONSE TIME TO REPAIR FREEWAY STREETLIGHT OUTAGES.

TWO, REDUCE THE INFRASTRUCTURE REPAIR TIME, AND THREE, PASS A POLICY THAT WOULD STOP AUSTIN ENERGY FROM CLOSING 3 1 1 REQUESTS BEFORE THEY'RE COMPLETED.

AMID AUSTIN ENERGY HAS BEGUN TO REPAIR THE HUNDREDS OF FREEWAY STREETLIGHT OUTAGES, BUT UNFORTUNATELY HUNDREDS REMAIN, PARTICULARLY IN COUNCILOR VELA.

COUNCILOR VELAS DISTRICT.

MANY LIGHTS I'VE BROUGHT TO YOU 90 TO 120 DAYS AGO ARE STILL OUT.

I'M ASKING THE COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE THE REASONS FOR THE UNDERPERFORMANCE AT AUSTIN ENERGY AND DEMAND CHANGE, AUSTIN

[00:05:01]

THOSE COULD BE RUNNING TEMPORARY OVERHEAD WIRING, OR REPLACING OR HIRING ADDITIONAL CONTRACTORS.

FREEWAY OUTAGES SHOULD REALLY BE REPAIRED IN ABOUT 30 DAYS.

SECOND, AUSTIN ENERGY IS REPORTING.

IT WILL TAKE EIGHT TO 12 MONTHS TO REPAIR MANY OF THE BROKEN KNOCKDOWN, STREETLIGHT POLES AND BASES.

FREEWAY LIGHTING WORKS MUCH LIKE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS, SO THE RESULT OF A BROKEN PIT POLE IS AT LARGE STRETCHES AND MILES OF FREEWAY CAN BE OUT WAITING ANOTHER YEAR IS JUST UNACCEPTABLE.

PASS AN ORDINANCE TO REQUIRE AE TO MAKE REPAIRS WITHIN 30 DAYS.

CURRENTLY, AUSTIN ENERGY REPAIRS RESIDENTIAL STREETLIGHTS IN ABOUT THREE DAYS, HOWEVER, IT'S NOT AN ORDINANCE.

TAKING EIGHT TO 12 MONTHS TO REPAIR BROKEN BASES AND MILES OF FREEWAY LIGHTING IS REALLY UNACCEPTABLE.

I WOULD ASK THE COMMITTEE TO PASS AN ORDINANCE TO REQUIRE AUSTIN ENERGY TO REPAIR FREEWAY LIGHTING OUTAGES IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME IN MAYBE 30 DAYS.

ALSO, TIE IT TO KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS.

FINALLY, AUSTIN ENERGY ROUTINELY CLOSES 3 1 1 FREEWAY REQUESTS THAT TAKE TOO LONG.

AS YOU CAN SEE IN MY ATTACHMENTS ABOVE, I BELIEVE THIS PRACTICE IS DECEPTIVE AND SHOULD BE STOPPED BY THE COMMITTEE CLOSING.

THE COMPLAINT MASKS THE LONG TIME THAT IT ACTUALLY TAKES TO MAKE FREEWAY LIGHTING REPAIRS, BUT GIVES THE ILLUSION THE REPAIRS ARE COMPLETE.

CLOSING REQUESTS, STOPS, UPDATES ON THE COMPLAINT, AND REMOVES OVERSIGHT BY CITY HALL.

AUSTIN ENERGY IS OFF THE HOOK, SO TO SPEAK, BECAUSE THE URGENCY TO MAKE THE REPAIRS HAS BEEN REMOVED.

REPAIRS THAT TAKE MAY TAKE A YEAR HAVE NO CONSEQUENCE.

I ASK THE COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE AND STOP THIS PRACTICE.

PASS AN ORDINANCE THAT REQUIRES COMPLAINTS TO REMAIN OPEN UNTIL THEY'RE REPAIRED.

IN CONCLUSION, I'M ASKING THE COMMITTEE TO TAKE ACTIONS ON OVERSIGHT THAT WOULD ONE, PASS AN ORDINANCE THAT REQUIRES ROUTINE FREEWAY OUTAGES TO BE REPAIRED IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME, SAY 30 DAYS.

NUMBER TWO, REDUCE THE KNOCKDOWN.

POLL BASED REPAIR TIME AND DEMAND REDUCTION OR ADDITIONAL CONTRACTORS BE BROUGHT ON BOARD.

AND NUMBER THREE, I'M ASKING YOU TO PASS AN ORDINANCE THAT WOULD PROHIBIT THE CLOSING OF 3 1 1 REQUESTS.

AND TWO, THE REPAIRS ARE COMPLETED, AND AT LEAST TIE IT TO KPIS.

KEEP PERFORMANCE INDICATORS.

MRS. CHAIR.

THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER, I HAVE AN ATTACHMENT WITH AMY.

I LEFT FOR ALL OF YOU.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

GOOD MORNING, MR. NASER.

HOW ARE YOU? YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES, SIR.

HELLO, CRAIG NASER, CONSERVATION CHAIR, LONE STAR CHAPTER SIERRA CLUB.

ONCE AGAIN, HERE IS A QUOTE FROM THE WRITER, WENDELL BERRY.

WE HAVE LIVED OUR LIVES BY THE ASSUMPTION THAT WHAT WAS GOOD FOR US WOULD BE GOOD FOR THE WORLD WE HAVE BEEN WRONG.

WE MUST CHANGE OUR LIVES SO THAT IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO LIVE BY THE CONTRARY ASSUMPTION THAT WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE WORLD WILL BE GOOD FOR US.

AND THAT REQUIRES THAT WE MAKE THE EFFORT TO KNOW THE WORLD AND LEARN WHAT IS GOOD FOR IT.

WHAT WE ARE DOING TO THE EARTH RIGHT NOW, THROUGH EXCESSIVE CO2 AND METHANE EMISSIONS IS ALREADY PRODUCED SERIOUS AND POTENTIALLY VERY LONG LASTING CLIMATE CHANGE.

WE HAVE ARRIVED AT THIS POINT BY DOING WHAT IS GOOD FOR HUMANS, IGNORING WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE PLANET.

IN THE PAST, WE COULD SAY IT WAS OUT OF IGNORANCE.

THIS IS NO LONGER THE CASE.

THE CHANCES OF REACHING TIPPING POINTS IN THE EARTH'S CLIMATE ARE GROWING DRAMATICALLY, AND THEY MAY BE IRREVERSIBLE IN TIMEFRAMES THAT MATTER.

THE EFFECTS OF THIS ON HUMAN SOCIETY WILL BE THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF SUSTAINABILITY.

IT WILL BE MASSIVE CHANGE TO AN UNSURVIVABLE FUTURE.

THE POOR WILL DIE FIRST, WHICH IS THE DEFINITION OF INEQUITY.

RENEWABLE ENERGY IS BY ITS VERY NATURE, AFFORDABLE ENERGY HISTORY SHOWS US THAT NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY WILL ALWAYS INCREASE IN PRICE AS A MOST EASILY AVAILABLE FUEL IS CONSUMED.

OUR PLANET RUNS ON RENEWABLE ENERGY.

I NOW HAVE 10 SOLAR CELLS ON MY HOUSE.

THANK YOU, AUSTIN ENERGY.

AND THEY PAY WILL PAY FOR THEMSELVES IN A LITTLE MORE THAN FIVE YEARS BEYOND WHICH THEY WILL SAVE ME EVEN MORE MONEY WHILE HELPING AUSTIN THROUGH PEAK POWER PERIODS.

MEANWHILE, NATURAL GAS PRICES MORE THAN DOUBLED.

WE NEED TO EXPAND ACCESS TO SOLAR ENERGY FOR EVERYONE, INCLUDING RENTERS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, JUST LIKE NATURE.

WE NEED TO GREATLY INCREASE ENERGY STORAGE CAPABILITIES AND INVEST IN BATTERY TECHNOLOGY.

WE DO NOT NEED A NEW METHANE POWER PLANT.

CONVERTING A COMBUSTION METHANE POWER PLANT TO HYDROGEN WILL JUST CONTINUE TO PRODUCE NITROGEN OXIDES THAT CREATE OZONE THAT CAN PERMANENTLY DAMAGE HUMAN LUNGS, PARTICULARLY IN CHILDREN THAT IS NOT EQUITY.

AS FOR GREEN HYDROGEN, THE LAWS OF PHYSICS TELL US THAT BURNING IT TO PRODUCE ELECTRICITY IS VERY IN ENERGY, INEFFICIENT, MAKING IT UNAFFORDABLE AND UNSUSTAINABLE.

THERE COMES A TIME IN EVERYONE'S LIFE WHEN DEMANDING RELIABILITY WILL NOT LEAD YOU TO WHERE YOU KNOW YOU NEED TO GO.

YOU NEED TO DO WHAT YOU KNOW IS RIGHT EVEN WHEN THE PATH SEEMS UNCERTAIN.

THE PROBLEM IS WHEN WE ACT COLLECTIVELY, BUT DO

[00:10:01]

I THINK WE ALREADY KNOW WHAT WE HAVE TO DO.

WE JUST NEED THE POLITICAL WILL TO DO IT.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, MR. NAZER.

THE NEXT SPEAKER IS RICHARD HALPIN.

AND AFTER RICHARD IS BECKY HALPIN.

GOOD MORNING, MR. HALPIN.

GOOD MORNING.

SURE.

GLAD TO SEE YOU AND BECKY HERE TODAY.

THANK YOU.

YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.

BECKY, IF YOU'D LIKE TO COME ON DOWN TO THE FRONT, YOU'LL BE AFTER YOUR HUSBAND.

ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO SEE YOUR SMILING FACE, AND FACES OF THESE FANTASTIC PUBLIC SERVANTS HERE.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE.

MY NAME, GOOD MORNING, CHAIRWOMAN POOL AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF AUSTIN ENERGY.

I AM RICHARD HALPIN WITH THE AUSTIN CHAPTER OF THE TEXAS ALLIANCE OF RETIRED AMERICANS.

I AM HERE TO SPEAK TO YOU TODAY ABOUT THE UNPRECEDENTED OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE BECOMING AVAILABLE TO US.

YOU AND PREVIOUS COUNCIL MEMBERS AS THE DECISION MAKING ENERGY.

AUSTIN ENERGY BOARD MEMBERS HAVE A LOT TO BE PROUD OF.

AUSTIN ENERGY HAS BEEN AN INSPIRING FORCE IN THE MAKING IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING TEXAS A LEADER IN RENEWABLE ENERGY.

UH, THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE FACE A COMING ENERGY MARKET DEMANDS OF UNPRECEDENTED PROPORTIONS, UH, AND INFRASTRUCTURE THAT'S OUT OF DATE, TRANSMISSION LINES THAT ARE ALREADY FULL, UH, BEFORE THEY'RE COMPLETED IN THEIR RENOVATIONS.

AND BILLIONS OF OUR TAX DOLLARS BEING MISMANAGED AS, UH, LOW INTEREST LOANS TO THE GAS COMPANIES WHO FAILED US, UM, A FEW YEARS AGO IN THE GRID FAILURE AND GAS COMPANIES THAT, UH, PRODUCE A TOXIC WASTE THAT IS A KILLER.

AS WITH ALL CRISIS, THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY AND WE ARE AT A TIPPING POINT, AND YOU, WE CAN MAKE A QUANTUM LEAP.

WHAT IF YOU DIRECTED OUR ENTERPRISE AUSTIN ENERGY AND THE EUC TO PRODUCE A VISIONARY PLAN? YOU'RE USED TO VISIONARY PLANS MAYOR, A VISIONARY PLAN THAT SHOWS HOW WE CAN PRODUCE MORE ENERGY THAN EVER BEFORE AND DO IT WITH OUR NATIONAL CLEAN RENEWABLES AFFORDABLE ENERGY MODEL.

AN EXAMPLE OF THIS WOULD BE INCREASING AND IMPROVING THE SOLAR STANDARD.

OFFER A WIN-WIN ON SO MANY LEVELS THAT YOU CAN DO THAT WOULD BE A WAY TO HAVE A TEXAS SIZE ENTERPRISE SUCCESS.

THAT WOULD BE A WAY TO BRING SIGNIFICANTLY MORE REVENUE INTO OUR CITY TO SUPPORT THE CRITICAL PROGRAMS THAT SERVE OUR PEOPLE.

THAT WOULD GIVE YOU THE STANDING TO SPEAK TO OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF SIGNIFICANT MORE CLEAN ENERGY AND AFFORDABLE PROGRESS AT THE SAME TIME, ASKING THEM TO BE INVOLVED THROUGH CONSERVATION AND EFFICIENCY.

DON'T PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR THIS KIND OF LEADERSHIP? I THINK SO.

DON'T PEOPLE WANNA BE INVOLVED IN SOLUTIONS? YOU CAN DO THAT.

YOU CAN DIRECT OUR ENERGY ENTERPRISE TO GROW AND BECOME EVEN BETTER SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY SERVING BUSINESS.

THERE IS A HIGH STANDARD HERE THAT YOU HAVE HELPED CREATE.

AN EXAMPLE OF THAT IS THE EUC THAT YOU HAVE APPOINTED.

THE EUC HAS PRODUCED A FOSSIL FUEL FREE RESOURCE GENERATION AND CLIMATE PROTECTION PLAN THAT IS OUTSTANDING AND WORTHY OF YOUR FULL SUPPORT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND ATTENTION.

NEXT SPEAKER IS BECKY HALPIN.

AND AFTER BECKY IS SHANE JOHNSON.

GOOD MORNING, COUNCIL AND MAYOR.

HELLO, I'M BECKY HELP AND I'M REPRESENTING THIRD ACT.

TEXAS IS AN ORGANIZATION OF OLDER PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN ADDRESSING CLIMATE, THE CLIMATE CRISIS.

IT'S VERY DISAPPOINTING TO SEE AUSTIN ENERGY MODELING AND NEW GAS PLANT IN THE FUTURE RESOURCE PLAN.

THE ECONOMICS AND EFFICIENCIES OF CLEAN TECH SUCH AS BATTERIES, SOLAR, WIND, AND NOW EVEN POTENTIALLY GEOTHERMAL, ARE STEADILY PUSHING THESE OLD FOSSIL FUEL PLANTS OFF THE PLAYING FIELD.

THIS IS BECAUSE CLEAN TECHNOLOGY IS CONSTANTLY IMPROVING AND EVOLVING.

GEOTHERMAL ANYWHERE IS BEGINNING TO LOOK LIKE A CLEAN, AFFORDABLE POSSIBILITY FOR OUR FUTURE.

BUT FOSSIL FUELS STAY THE SAME, PUSHING THEIR HEAT TRAPPING GASES INTO THE ATMOSPHERE AND CLEAN TECHNOLOGY IS SHOWING UP AND SHOWING OFF.

A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO IN TEXAS, SOLAR SHATTERED ITS PREVIOUS

[00:15:01]

WHOLESALE POWER WAS FREE FOR TWO HOURS AND AT 2 CENTS PER KILOWATT HOUR ALL THE DAY.

THIS IS ABUNDANT INEXPENSIVE ENERGY, JUST WHAT WE NEED.

NATURAL GAS BURNERS, EVEN THE MYTHICAL HYDROGEN GAS BURNERS WILL BECOME STRANDED ASSETS AS CLEANER, CHEAPER, MORE EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES TAKE THEIR PLACE.

AND THIS IS HAPPENING QUICKLY.

WHY BURDEN AUSTIN ENERGY RATE PAYERS WITH A GAS PLANT THAT WILL BE A COSTLY DINOSAUR WHEN WE CAN ACCOMPLISH OUR GOALS WITH CLEANER, MORE INEFFICIENT TECHNOLOGY? ON AUGUST 21ST, JUPITER POWER BEGAN OPERATING ITS FIRST BIG 200 MEGAWATT, TWO HOUR BATTERY NEAR THE HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL ON A SITE OF AN OLD COAL PLANT, THEY EXPECT TO ADD ANOTHER 400 MEGAWATT TO OUR BATTERY IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

ON AUGUST 28TH, SAN ANTONIO CPS ENERGY ANNOUNCED IT'S BUILDING A 400 MEGAWATT FOUR HOUR BATTERY NEAR THEIR OLD COAL PLANT AND ANOTHER 200 MEGAWATT BATTERY AT THEIR LEON CREEK POWER PLANT.

MEANWHILE, AUSTIN ENERGY HAS LESS THAN A PITIFUL 10 MEGAWATTS.

I BELIEVE AUSTIN ENERGY HAS SOME OLD COAL AND GAS PLANT SITES.

WE NEED GENERATION IN THE AUSTIN LOAD ZONE.

GREAT.

LET'S PUT CLEAN TECHNOLOGY IN OUR BACKYARD.

NOT DIRTY.

THANKS VERY MUCH.

THE NEXT SPEAKER IS SHANE JOHNSON, BUT I DON'T SEE HIM.

AND THE NEXT AFTER THAT IS CABO WHITE.

OH, THERE'S SHANE.

SORRY, AND KABA.

WHY DON'T YOU COME ON DOWN.

AND WHO ARE THE TWO SPEAKERS AFTER SHANE AND KABA? AFTER THAT IS PAUL ROBBINS AND JORGE VIRO.

OKAY.

AND, UM, MR. VIERRA AND MR. ROBBINS, IF YOU'D LIKE TO COME DOWN TOWARD THE FRONT TOO, THAT'D BE GREAT.

AND I SEE MR. JOHNSON COMING DOWN THE AISLE.

YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES, MR. SHINE ON THAT.

UM, ALL RIGHT.

THIS IS, UH, THE, UH, YOU KNOW, MORNING TRAFFIC HUSTLE, RIGHT? UM, SO I KNOW THIS IS TICKING THROUGH MY TIME, BUT THAT'S OKAY.

UH, THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

SHANE JOHNSON.

HE HAD PRONOUNS, UH, D SEVEN RESIDENT, AS ARE MY FAMILY MEMBERS WHO I OFTEN AM ABLE TO SPEAK FOR AS WELL.

UM, SO FIRST OF ALL, UH, LIKE SEVERAL SPEAKERS HAVE, HAVE STATED, I WANT TO REITERATE THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO SEE AUSTIN ENERGY AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN STICK TO OUR CLIMATE GOALS, STICK TO OUR CLIMATE EQUITY VALUES AND OUR RACIAL EQUITY VALUES BEYOND THAT, THAT WE HAVE, UM, REALLY BEEN A GUIDING LIGHT AND LEADER ON FOR SO MANY YEARS IN MANY WAYS.

UH, AND WE DON'T WANT TO TAKE A STEP BACKWARDS.

UM, I'M ALSO, UH, ONE OF THE MEMBERS REPRESENTING SIERRA CLUB, SPECIFICALLY IN THE STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP.

UH, AND SO, AND I, WHEN I SAW THIS PRESENTATION, I SKIMMED THROUGH IT, UH, YESTERDAY, AND I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT A FEW THINGS AND ADD A LITTLE MORE, UM, CONTEXT AND NUANCE FROM THE DISCUSSIONS.

UM, SO, UH, I THINK IT'S FOUR OUT OF FOUR OR FIVE OUT OF THEIR, UH, 14 SCENARIOS ARE MODELING A NEW GAS PLANT WITH, IT SAYS HYDROGEN.

THAT'S JUST MARKETING.

IT'S A NEW GAS PLANT.

THEY HOPE TO THEORETICALLY CONVERT TO HYDROGEN IN THE FUTURE.

UM, AND THEN THE, UH, UH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CONSULTANT, YOU KNOW, THE MAIN TAKEAWAYS KIND OF HAMMERED HOME AGAIN AND AGAIN IS RELI RELIABILITY IS NUMBER ONE.

PEOPLE ESSENTIALLY, PRIMARILY, OR SOLELY CARE ABOUT RELIABILITY.

UH, IT'S KIND OF DISAPPOINTING TO SEE HOW MUCH THIS GLOSSES OVER THE REALLY IMPORTANT NUANCES THAT WERE BROUGHT UP IN THAT DISCUSSION, UH, PARTICULARLY, AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ACTIVITY THEY DID AND THE SCORES THEY DID, PEOPLE VALUE AFFORDABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY AS THEY PUT IT NEARLY AS MUCH AS RELIABILITY.

YOU KNOW, THESE ARE THINGS YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PICK BETWEEN.

I GET A, A CERTAIN POINT WE HAVE TO PICK A LITTLE BIT.

FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, KAI, BEN, I AND OTHER ADVOCATES WE'RE NO LONGER ADVOCATING FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, SHUTTING DOWN OUR CURRENT GAS PLANTS BY 2030 BECAUSE OF THOSE, THOSE TRADE OFFS.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, UM, IT'S DEEPLY CONCERNING THAT OST ENERGY CONTINUES WITH THIS FRAMING AND NARRATIVE THAT WE HAVE TO PICK AFFORDABILITY OR PICK SUSTAINABILITY OR PICK RELIABILITY.

BECAUSE FOR MANY RESOURCES

[00:20:01]

WE NEED TO LEAD WITH EQUITY, WHICH MEANS WE DON'T BUILD A NEW GAS PLANT, WHICH OF COURSE IS PROBABLY GONNA GO INTO EAST AUSTIN.

AND IT MEANS THAT THOSE STRATEGIES THAT ADDRESS ALL THREE AT ONCE, WE HAVE TO PRIORITIZE, AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO FIRST.

UH, AND SO, YOU KNOW, I WANTED TO HAMMER THAT HOME IN PARTICULAR.

UH, ADDITIONALLY IN DR.

WEBER'S PRESENTATION, I WANTED TO POINT OUT SLIDE FOUR, UM, THAT SORT OF FEARS A, IT FEELS A BIT ALARMIST TO ME.

IT POINTS OUT, YOU KNOW, WITH, UH, UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH FROM EV DEMAND IN PARTICULAR, IT SAYS WE COULD HAVE AN ESTIMATED PEAK OF 7,800 MEGAWATTS.

UH, YOU KNOW, HIS OTHER SLIDES SHOW THANK YOU, 3,400.

SO APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE.

POINT THAT OUT, MS. WHITE, THAT THAT'S NOT REALISTIC.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

MR. JOHNSON.

CAN I DISTRIBUTE SOMETHING? UM, THE, UH, YOU CAN GIVE 'EM TO AMY.

SHE WILL GET THEM TO US.

THANKS SO MUCH.

YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.

WELCOME.

OKAY, GOOD MORNING.

THANK YOU.

UH, CHAIR, POOL AND, AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.

UM, I'M GONNA, UH, TALK TO YOU FOR A FEW MINUTES ABOUT THE SOLAR STANDARD OFFER PROGRAM THAT YOU'LL BE, UH, RECEIVING A PRESENTATION ON TODAY.

AND I THINK, UH, PROBABLY VOTING FOR IN THE, UH, UM, IN THE NEXT, UH, TWO TO THREE WEEKS.

UM, THIS PROGRAM MIGHT AT FIRST APPEAR LIKE ANOTHER SMALL ADDITION TO AUSTIN ENERGY'S, UM, ALREADY SUCCESSFUL LOCAL SOLAR PORTFOLIO.

WHILE IT IS AN ADDITION, I DON'T THINK THAT IT SHOULD BE SMALL.

THIS PROGRAM ABSOLUTELY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO UNLOCK A CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE FOR AUSTIN ENERGY.

WE'VE REPEATEDLY HEARD THAT AUSTIN ENERGY NEEDS LOCAL GENERATION, AND FRANKLY, THERE ARE NOT THAT MANY OPTIONS FOR LOCAL GENERATION, RIGHT? WE'VE HEARD THAT WE CAN BUILD A GAS PLANT OR HYDROGEN PLANT, WE CAN BURN SOMETHING, WHICH WE KNOW AT THE VERY LEAST IS GONNA CONTRIBUTE TO OUR LOCAL AIR POLLUTION ISSUES.

WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE GOOD, UH, LOCAL GEOTHERMAL RESOURCE AND EVEN UTILITY SCALE.

SOLAR IS GONNA BE REALLY HARD TO COME BY BECAUSE OF LAND VALUES.

WHAT DO WE HAVE A LOT OF, WE HAVE A LOT OF ROOFTOPS WITH A LOT OF SOLAR POTENTIAL ON THEM, THOUSANDS OF MEGAWATTS.

AND THAT THIS PROGRAM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO UNLOCK THAT RESOURCE FOR US BY ENABLING DEPLOYMENT OF SOLAR ON THOSE ROOFTOPS WITHOUT, UH, REQUIRING THE PROPERTY OWNER TO MAKE THE INVESTMENT, WHICH IS AN OBVIOUS BARRIER FOR BARRIER FOR MANY RESIDENTIAL, UH, PROPERTY OWNERS, BUT ALSO FOR COMMERCIAL, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF, UM, CHALLENGES THERE IN TERMS OF CAPITAL AND ALSO IN TERMS OF SPLIT INCENTIVE WHERE YOU HAVE RE RENTAL PROPERTIES.

SO THIS IS AN EXCITING NEW ADDITION.

HOWEVER, THE RATE THAT IS BEING PROPOSED IS WHOLLY INAPPROPRIATE AND TOO LOW TO MAKE THE PROGRAM SUCCESSFUL.

AUSTIN ENERGY, UH, HAS PROPOSED TO USE JUST THE AVOIDED COST PORTION OF THE VALUE OF SOLAR, BUT ONLY OF THE AVOIDED COST CALCULATED BASED ON 2021 VALUES, NOT 22 OR 23, WHICH THEY HAVE THE DATA FOR.

AND YOU'LL SEE THAT ON THE, UM, HANDOUTS THAT I HAVE HERE FOR YOU.

SO YOU'VE, WE ALREADY HAVE, UH, SEEN THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION RECOMMEND UTILIZING THE FULL VALUE OF SOLAR RATE, WHICH IS UTILIZED FOR BEHIND THE METER INSTALLATIONS.

THAT CALCULATION IS ALSO APPROPRIATE FOR THESE DISTRIBUTED ROOFTOP SOLAR INSTALLATIONS THROUGH THIS PROGRAM.

AT THE VERY LEAST, IF AN AVOIDED COST IS TO TO BE USED, IT SHOULD BE BASED ON CURRENT DATA ON THOSE, SAY 20 22, 20 23 RATES, OR PERHAPS AN AVERAGE OF THE THREE YEARS.

ADDITIONALLY, I WILL REMIND YOU THAT THIS ENERGY IS GOING TO FEED INTO THE COMMUNITY SOLAR PROGRAM, AND THAT THOSE CUSTOMERS THAT SUBSCRIBE TO THE PROGRAM ARE GOING TO BE PAYING A PREMIUM.

WE NEED TO ACCOUNT FOR THAT AND USE THOSE FUNDS APPROPRIATELY.

THANK YOU, MS. WHITE.

THANK YOU.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE.

PAUL ROBBINS.

GOOD MORNING, MR. ROBBINS.

WELCOME.

GOOD MORNING CHAIR.

YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.

I DON'T THINK I'LL NEED IT.

UH, I AM PAUL ROBBINS SERVING AS VICE CHAIR OF THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION.

UH, YOUR AGENDA TODAY HAS, UH, CONSIDERATION OF THE SOLAR STANDARD OFFER, WHICH CABO WHITE JUST DISCUSSED, UH, AT THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION'S LAST MEETING, UM, WE DECIDED TO POSTPONE THE ITEM TO GIVE IT THE TIME AND CONSIDERATION IT DESERVES.

UH, WE ASKED, UH, OUR STAFF LIAISON IF

[00:25:02]

UH, AND THE STAFF LIAISON ADVISED US THAT SOMEONE COULD COME TO THE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE AND ASK FOR THE REQUEST IN PERSON, AND I WAS THE ONE THAT HAD THE TIME TO DO IT.

UH, SO, UH, IF POSSIBLE, PLEASE POSTPONE THIS ITEM UNTIL THE PUBLIC HEARING UNTIL AFTER OCTOBER 15TH.

THAT'S IT.

THANK YOU.

THANKS, MR. ROBBINS.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE.

OUR FINAL SPEAKER IS JORGE VIRO.

HI, MR. VIRA.

WELCOME.

YOU HAVE GOOD MORNING.

THREE MINUTES.

THANK YOU.

UH, HELLO.

MY NAME IS JORGE VIRO.

I'M AN AUSTIN ENERGY RAID BAYER.

I'M HERE TO OPPOSE AUSTIN ENERGY PROPOSAL TO CONSTRUCT A HYDROGEN CAPABLE GAS PLANT AS A BREACH TO A CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE.

THIS IS A VERY QUESTIONABLE INVESTMENT THAT PRIORITIZES A FOSSIL FUEL BASED INFRASTRUCTURE OVER PROVEN EFFICIENT, AND RENEWABLE ENERGY SOLUTIONS.

RATHER THAN INVESTING IN A TECHNOLOGY WITH SUCH A SIGNIFICANT HURDLES, AUSTIN ENERGY SHOULD DOUBLE DOWN ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES.

THE STRATEGY, THIS STRATEGY HAVE PROVEN TRACK TRACK OF REDUCING EMISSIONS, LOWERING ENERGY COSTS, AND ENHANCING GREATER RELIABILITY BY FOCUSES ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY, AUSTIN CAN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE DEMAND, THEREBY DECREASING THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL POWER GENERATION.

THIS CAN BE ACHIEVED THROUGH A COMBINATION OF POLICIES, INCENTIVES, AND PROGRAMS THAT ENCOURAGE BUILDING RETROFITS, APPLIANCE UPGRADES, AND BEHA BEHAVIORAL CHANGES.

MOREOVER, ACCELERATING THE DEPLOYMENT OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE, UH, SOURCES SUCH AS SOLAR, WIND, POWER, AND BATTERY STORAGE IS A MORE DIRECT AND EFFECTIVE PATH TO DECARBONIZATION.

THESE TECHNOLOGIES HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE, AND THE INTEGRATION INTO THE GRID IS WELL UNDERSTOOD.

THE HYDROGEN CAPABLE GAS PLAN REPRESENT A RISKY AND EXPECTING GAMBLE ON A TECHNOLOGY THAT IS IN STILL ITS INFANCY.

IT IS A DESTRUCTION FROM THE URGENT NEED TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE AND BUILD A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FUTURE.

INSTEAD OF PURSUING THIS UNPROVEN AND COSTLY APPROACH, AUSTIN ENERGY SHOULD FOCUS ON PROVEN COST EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS THAT DELIVER IMMEDIATE BENEFITS TO THE COMMUNITY.

BY PRIORITIZING ENERGY EFFICIENT AND RENEWABLE ENERGY, AUSTIN CAN LEAD THE WAY IN CREATING A CLEAN, RELIABLE, AND AFFORDABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

I AM VERY ENCOURAGED BY THE NEW AUSTIN ENERGY SOLAR STANDARD OFFER PROGRAM.

THIS IS VERY MUCH THE WAY TO MOVE FORWARD THAN A NEW GAS PLAN.

HOWEVER, FOR THIS PROGRAM TO BE AS EFFECTIVE AS IT CAN BE, IT NEEDS TO PAY A REASONABLE GENERATION RATE TO THE COMPANIES AND INDIVIDUALS PREPARED TO INVEST IN IT.

IT IS DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND AND JUSTIFY WHY AUSTIN ENERGY IS PLANNING TO PAY SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER RATE THAN IT PAYS TODAY TO EXISTING RESIDENTIAL SOLAR CUSTOMERS.

AUSTIN ENERGY NEEDS TO BE TRANSPARENT IN ITS PROPOSED RATE CALCULATIONS, AND IF SUCCESSFUL, THE SOLAR STANDARD OFFER PROGRAM WILL NOT ONLY PREVENT AUSTIN FROM EXPERIENCING THE HARM, HARMFUL EFFECTS OF ADDITIONAL POLLUTION, BUT WILL E STABILIZE THE AUSTIN ENERGY COSTS BY ELIMINATING FLUCTUATIONS IN FUEL COSTS MANAGEMENT OVERHEAD, THE DEPRECIATION AND COST OVERRUN.

THANK YOU, MR. VIRO, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

THANKS FOR YOUR COMMENTS.

DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER SPEAKERS? THAT'S IT.

THANK YOU.

OKAY.

VERY GOOD.

THANK YOU ALL.

WHO CAME TODAY TO SPEAK TO US? OUR, UH, FIRST

[Approval of Minutes]

UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, UH, CADRE MAKES THE MOTION AND, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, ELLIS SECONDS, ARE THERE ANY CHANGES OR CORRECTIONS TO THE MINUTES? IS THERE ANY OPPOSITION TO ADOPTING THESE MINUTES? SEEING NONE.

IT IS ADOPTED UNANIMOUSLY.

AND, AND I SEE COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY THERE ON THE SCREEN.

THANK YOU.

GENERAL MANAGER CON,

[2. General Manager’s Report - Operational Update, Awards & Recognitions]

I THINK WE'LL HAVE LISA MARTIN, UH, DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER SPEAK TO US ON THAT.

AND THEN LINDA RIFE, PRESIDENT OF RIF LINE, AND DR. MICHAEL WEBER, UT WILL ALSO BE SPEAKING WITH US

[00:30:01]

YOU'RE GONNA DO IT? OKAY.

I CAN'T DO TWO THINGS AT ONCE.

WELL, DON'T SAY THAT PUBLICLY.

OKAY.

OKAY.

GOOD MORNING, CHAIR, PAUL, VICE CHAIR VELA MAYOR, COMMITTEE MEMBERS, UH, BOB CONN, GENERAL MANAGER OF AUSTIN ENERGY.

UH, BEFORE WE GET TO OUR BRIEFINGS, I HAVE JUST A BRIEF GENERAL MANAGER'S REPORT I WANTED TO GO THROUGH.

UH, FIRST I WANNA GIVE A PUBLIC THANK YOU TO OUR AUSTIN ENERGY TEAM MEMBERS WHO WORK SAFELY AND QUICKLY RESPOND, OR, UH, OVER THE LAST MONTH WHEN THEY RESPONDED TO THE OUTAGES TO THE TWO RELATED TRANSFORMERS IN EAST AND SOUTHWEST AUSTIN AND THE SUBSTATION FIRE IN NORTHEAST AUSTIN.

IN EACH CASE, THE CREWS RESPONDED AND REROUTED POWER TO NEARBY CIRCUITS, RESTORING POWER TO THE COMMUNITY WITHIN A FEW HOURS.

AND THAT WAS EVEN BEFORE THEY PUT A PERMANENT SOLUTION IN PLACE.

AND I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU, THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND AMPLIFYING AUSTIN ENERGY'S MESSAGE TO THE COMMUNITY AND FOR THEIR CONSERVATION EFFORTS.

WE, ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTHWEST AREA, UH, DISTRICT 10, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS, WE ASKED PEOPLE TO CONSERVE, I THINK IT WAS 109 DEGREES THAT DAY, AND WE WERE A LITTLE NERVOUS ABOUT, UH, REROUTING TO OTHER CIRCUITS, BUT IT WORKED OUT.

AND ONCE PEOPLE HAD THEIR POWER RESTORED, EVERYTHING WORKED OUT, UH, AWAITING THE PERMANENT SOLUTION, WHICH WE PUT IN PLACE A FEW DAYS LATER.

THE NEXT THING I WANNA TALK ABOUT IS OUR DEMAND RESPONSE PROGRAM AND CITY FACILITIES.

THE DEMAND RESPONSE PROGRAM HELPS SAVE ENERGY DURING PEAK TIMES.

AUSTIN ENERGY HAS SEVERAL DEMAND RESPONSE PROGRAMS, INCLUDING FOR RESIDENTIAL AND FOR COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS.

TODAY I'D LIKE TO FOCUS ON THE COMMERCIAL PROGRAM, AND ESPECIALLY ENROLLING CITY OF AUSTIN BUILDINGS IN IT KIND OF LEAD BY EXAMPLE.

RIGHT? IN APRIL, THE CITY COUNCIL PASSED A RESOLUTION DIRECTING CITY BUILDINGS BEING ENROLLED IN AUSTIN ENERGY'S COMMERCIAL DEMAND RESPONSE PROGRAM.

WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS TO IDENTIFY ABOUT 250 CITY FACILITIES THAT COULD PARTICIPATE IN DEMAND RESPONSE, WHICH COULD ADD UP TO NEARLY FIVE MEGAWATTS OF ENERGY SAVINGS DURING THE DEMAND RESPONSE EVENT.

THEY HAVE AN INCREASE THE CURRENT COMMERCIAL DEMAND RESPONSE PORTFOLIO BY ABOUT 30%.

THAT'S A LOT FOR CONTEXT.

UH, AT OUR ALL TIME PEAK, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY CUSTOMERS USE A LITTLE MORE THAN 3000 MEGAWATTS OF ENERGY.

OUR TEAM IS CONDUCTING SITE ASSESSMENTS NOW, WHICH COULD FURTHER REFINE ELIGIBLE FACILITIES.

SO WE MAY NOT HIT THE 250, WE'LL JUST HAVE TO SEE WHAT MAKES MAKES SENSE.

ASSESSMENTS SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF OCTOBER, AND WE HOPE TO HAVE ENROLLMENT DONE BY THE END OF THE YEAR WITH FULL IMPLEMENTATION IN THE SPRING, CONSISTENT WITH YOUR, YOUR RESOLUTION THAT YOU PASSED.

THE OTHER THING I'D LIKE TO MENTION IS THE PANO AI.

UH, AUSTIN ENERGY AND THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT HAVE PARTNERED TO FULLY IMPLEMENT AN ADVANCED AI DRIVEN WILDFIRE DETECTIVE SYSTEM ACROSS OUR ENTIRE 437 MILE SQUARE AREA.

SO YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN SOME OF THE STORIES RECENTLY THAT WE'VE, WE'VE RUN ON THAT.

THIS STATE OF THE ART SYSTEM USES 13 ULTRAHIGH DEFINITION, 360 DEGREE CAMERAS AND ADVANCED AI TO TRACK POTENTIAL WILDFIRES.

THE PANO AI SYSTEM SCANS FOR SMOKE, LOCATES THE FIRES, DELIVERS INFO TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS TO QUICKLY ADDRESS AND CONTAIN THE THREAT.

AND WE HAVE TROUBLESHOOTERS THAT ARE READY TO GO OUT AND DO WHATEVER HAS TO BE DONE TO, TO TAKE CARE AND REDUCE THE RISK.

THIS REALLY DETECTION SUPPORTS US TO MAKING CRITICAL DECISIONS SUCH AS INITIATING NECESSARY POWER, SHUTOFFS, AND ACTIVE FIRE CONDITIONS IN AN AIR OF HOTTER, DRIER SUMMERS.

THIS TECHNOLOGY LETS US ACT QUICKLY AND MORE EFFECTIVELY FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR COMMUNITY.

SO LET ME SWITCH OVER FOR A SECOND TO THE EIDE EBAY ERE REBATE, UH, PROGRAM.

AUSTIN ENERGY'S ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES TEAM RECENTLY WON THE BIKE TEXAS CHAMPION AWARD AT THE TEXAS TRAILS AND ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION CONFERENCE.

OUR ELECTRIC RIDE, OR EIDE REBATE PROGRAM HAS ISSUED MORE THAN 4,000 E-BIKE REBATES TO THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY.

THAT'S A LOT.

IN JANUARY OF 23, WE DOUBLED OUR INCENTIVES AND ADDED A LIMITED INCOME OPTION TO MAKE E MOBILITY MORE ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE TO EVERYONE.

SO ANYBODY IN OUR CAT PROGRAM IS ELIGIBLE FOR THIS REBATE.

THERE ARE MANY FORMS OF ELECTRIC ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION, E-BIKES, SCOOTERS, MOPEDS MOTORCYCLES, ALL OF WHICH ARE ELIGIBLE FOR AUSTIN ENERGY E RIDE REBATES.

SO FINALLY, THE LAST THING I WANNA TALK ABOUT

[00:35:01]

IT'S THINGS LIKE EIDE REBATES AND MAKE AUSTIN ENERGY SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER ELECTRIC UTILITY.

IT'S ONE OF THE MANY WAYS.

BEING A PUBLIC POWER UTILITY BRINGS MORE VALUE TO OUR COMMUNITY.

SO LET ME REPEAT THAT.

IT'S, WE ARE A PUBLIC POWER UTILITY.

WE DO A LOT MORE THAN OTHER ELECTRIC UTILITIES FROM REBATE ENERGY SAVINGS TO GREEN BUILDING TO CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. WE THOUGHT A CAMPAIGN ON THE VALUE OF PUBLIC POWER WAS IN ORDER.

SO AUSTIN ENERGY HAS LAUNCHED A SERIES OF SHORT VIDEOS IN ENGLISH AND IN SPANISH, INVITING CUSTOMERS TO DISCOVER HOW AUSTIN ENERGY IS POWERING OUR COMMUNITY.

SO LET'S TAKE A QUICK LOOK.

I THINK WE HAVE ABOUT A ONE MINUTE VIDEO THAT WE'RE GONNA PUT UP.

AUSTIN ENERGY IS YOUR COMMUNITY OWNED ELECTRIC UTILITY, BRINGING POWER TO OUR VIBRANT CITY FOR MORE THAN 125 YEARS.

SINCE 1895, WE'VE BEEN POWERING THE GREATER AUSTIN AREA, LIGHTING UP HOMES, SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS, AND BUSINESSES, AND NOW SERVE MORE THAN HALF A MILLION CUSTOMERS EVERY SINGLE DAY.

BUT WE'RE NOT JUST AN ELECTRIC UTILITY.

AS COMMUNITY MEMBERS, WE CARE DEEPLY ABOUT THIS EVER-CHANGING CITY WE CALL HOME AS A PUBLIC POWER UTILITY.

WE ARE INTEGRATED INTO THE LIFE OF THIS COMMUNITY, ALL THE WAY TO MAKING SURE THAT BALLPARKS ARE LIT ALL THE WAY TO SMALL BUSINESSES, UH, RUNNING COMMERCE TO THE LAST LIGHT THAT GOES OFF.

UH, IN THESE COMMUNITIES WHERE A PARENT IS READING A BOOK TO THEIR YOUNG CHILD, WE ARE INTEGRATED INTO THAT BY THE POWER THAT WE PROVIDE.

BEING COMMUNITY OWNED MEANS MORE THAN JUST KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON.

WE REINVEST IN PUBLIC SPACES AND SERVICES LIKE PARKS, POOLS, LIBRARIES, AND PUBLIC SAFETY, ALL WHILE MAINTAINING SOME OF THE LOWEST RATES IN THE LONE STAR STATE.

FROM WIND ENERGY AND SOLAR SOLUTIONS TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES, WE'RE LEADING THE CHARGE TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE, CONNECTING YOU WITH INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

AND WITH OUR CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, WE MAKE SURE EVERYONE HAS EQUAL ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL UTILITY SERVICES.

AS A PUBLIC POWER UTILITY, WE ANSWER TO YOU THE PEOPLE WE SERVE, AND WE ARE COMMITTED TO PROVIDING CLEAN, AFFORDABLE, RELIABLE ENERGY AND EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE.

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT AUSTIN ENERGY AND HOW WE ARE POWERING OUR COMMUNITY.

THAT'S IT.

THANKS.

THANK YOU, MR. CONN.

OKAY, GOOD, GOOD, UH, REPORT.

APPRECIATE THAT.

OKAY.

AND NOW WE'LL MOVE

[3. Staff briefing and process update on the Resource, Generation, and Climate Protection Plan by Lisa Martin, Deputy General Manager and Chief Operating Officer, Lynda Rife, President of Rifeline, and Dr. Michael Webber of the University of Texas. Sponsors: Mayor Pro Tem Leslie Pool, Mayor Kirk Watson, and Council Member José ''Chito'' Vela]

ALSO, JOINING HER WILL BE LINDA RIF AND DR. MICHAEL WEBER.

GOOD MORNING, CHAIR POOL, VICE CHAIR, VELA MAYOR AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS.

I'M LISA MARTIN, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, AND MY GOAL TODAY IS TO PROVIDE YOU WITH A BRIEF STATUS UPDATE BEFORE I SHARE THE FLOOR WITH OUR THIRD PARTY EXPERTS.

BEFORE I GET INTO THE DETAILS OF WHERE WE ARE, I WANNA TAKE A STEP BACK AND REFLECT ON WHAT WE ARE DOING AND THE DIRECTION WE HEARD FROM YOU ABOUT THIS PROCESS.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

WITH THIS RESOURCE GENERATION PLAN, WE ARE COOPERATIVELY AND COLLECTIVELY BUILDING A BRIDGE TO OUR ENERGY FUTURE.

BUT WHAT THAT BRIDGE LOOKS LIKE DEPENDS ON THE EFFORT WE'RE UNDERTAKING.

NOW, WE'RE FOCUSED ON CO-CREATION WITH OUR COMMUNITY, WITH THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION, AND WITH YOU.

ULTIMATELY, WE WANNA PLAN THAT PROVIDES THE RESOURCES WE WILL NEED TO POWER OUR COMMUNITY INTO THE FUTURE AND KEEP TRUE TO THE VALUES AND SPIRIT THAT MAKE AUSTIN UNIQUELY AUSTIN.

LINDA HAS BEEN SHARING THE COMMUNITY JOURNEY WITH YOU AT EACH UOC MEETING, AND SHE HAS UPDATES TO SHARE IN A FEW MINUTES.

BUT TODAY I WANNA SPEND MY TIME FOCUSING ON THE COLLABORATION WITH THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION.

THESE ARE YOUR REPRESENTATIVES WHO HAVE THE INTEREST AND CAPACITY TO DIVE DEEPLY INTO THIS WORK WITH US.

ONE OF THE MORE COMPLEX ASPECTS OF RESOURCE PLANNING IS WHAT WE OFTEN REFER TO AS MODELING WORK.

WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS THE QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS PERFORMED TO HELP INFORM THE DECISIONS YOU'LL HAVE TO MAKE.

I WANNA BE CLEAR THAT A MODEL DOES NOT SPIT OUT THE PLAN.

IT DOES NOT GIVE YOU THE ANSWER, BUT IT PROVIDES GOOD INFORMATION TO CONSIDER WHEN CREATING THE PLAN.

MODELING WORKS LIKE A SIMULATION.

YOU HAVE INPUTS, YOU PUT 'EM INTO A FRAMEWORK, YOU DO SOME COMPUTATIONS, AND YOU GET OUTPUTS.

ONE OF THE INPUTS SHOWN HERE IS AN ORANGE.

WE CALL IT A PORTFOLIO.

EACH PORTFOLIO IS A SET OF TECHNOLOGIES, COULD BE DEMAND RESPONSE, BATTERIES, LOCAL SOLAR, PEAKERS, WIND, OR SOLAR PPAS.

EACH OF THOSE TECHNOLOGIES ARE IN A CERTAIN QUANTITY, AND WE ASSESS THOSE THROUGH A MODEL THAT SIMULATES THE NEXT 10 YEARS TO DATE.

WE HAVE 17 PORTFOLIOS THAT WE'RE STUDYING.

SOME OF THEM ARE FROM AUSTIN ENERGY, SOME OF THEM ARE FROM A THIRD PARTY ANALYTICS FIRM, AND SOME OF THEM CAME DIRECTLY FROM THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION.

THE RESULTS OF THE MODELING WORK ARE THE OUTPUT METRICS THAT HELP DESCRIBE THE TRADE-OFFS ASSOCIATED WITH

[00:40:01]

THE METRICS ARE SHOWN UP HERE IN BLUE.

THEY'RE THINGS LIKE COST OR BILL IMPACT, EMISSIONS AND RELIABILITY RISK HOURS.

WE ALSO CALCULATE LIQUIDITY RISK AND ELECTRICITY BURDEN.

NO ONE MIX OF TECHNOLOGIES WILL PROVIDE THE BEST OUTCOME IN ALL OF THOSE CATEGORIES.

SO WE HAVE TO FIND THE DIRECTION THAT BEST ALIGNS WITH OUR COMMUNITY'S VALUES AND PRIORITIES.

EVERY UTILITY THAT DOES RESOURCE, UH, THAT DOES A RESOURCE PLAN, DOES MODELING WORK.

IT'S PRETTY CORE TO THE PROCESS.

AS SUCH, WE'VE BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION ON THE INPUTS AND ON THE FRAMEWORK.

EUC HAS GIVEN US FEEDBACK AND WE'VE DISCUSSED IT, AND WE'VE INCORPORATED IT, AND NOW WE'RE RUNNING THE MODEL.

IN MANY CASES, THE PORTFOLIOS THAT WE'RE STUDYING ARE EDGE CASES.

THEY'RE PURPOSEFULLY DEFINED TO HELP US UNDERSTAND THE BOUNDARIES SO THAT WE HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF THE SPACE WE'RE WORKING WITHIN.

AT THE NEXT FEW EUC MEETINGS, WE'LL REVIEW THE OUTPUTS WITH THE COMMISSIONERS.

AND ALL OF THIS IS IN PREPARATION OF COMING TO YOU.

LATER THIS YEAR, WE'LL WORK WITH THE EUC TO REFINE THE TECHNOLOGIES AND THE PORTFOLIOS TO FIND A BETTER MIX WITH THE INTENT OF GETTING A MORE ACCEPTABLE SET OF TRADE-OFFS.

THIS COLLABORATION AND ITERATIVE APPROACH IS BAKED INTO THE TIMELINE AND SHOULD MAKE FOR A BETTER RESULT OVERALL.

AND WE'RE INCORPORATING COMMUNITY FEEDBACK ALL ALONG THE WAY.

SO HERE WITH ME TODAY TO TALK MORE ABOUT THE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK IS LINDA RIF AND THEN FOLLOWING LINDA, DR. MICHAEL WEBER IS BACK PER YOUR REQUEST TO FOLLOW UP ON THE INSIGHTS HE HAS RELATED TO THE WORK WE ARE UNDERTAKING ON THIS RESOURCE GENERATION AND CLIMATE PROTECTION PLAN TO 2035.

THANK YOU.

GOOD MORNING, LINDA RIFE WITH LIFELINE.

WE SPECIALIZE IN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UM, PROCESSES.

AND SO, UM, WE'VE, I'M REPORTING OUT TODAY ON THE LAST TWO WORKSHOPS.

I MISSED YOU IN AUGUST.

UM, BUT WANTED TO, TO WALK US THROUGH THAT.

IN THE LAST TWO WORKSHOPS.

WE'VE GOT SOME BIG TAKEAWAYS AND I'LL TALK IN MORE DETAIL ABOUT THAT.

BUT RELIABILITY IS THE COMMUNITY'S TOP PRIORITY ACROSS THE BOARD.

WE HEARD IT IN MULTIPLE DIFFERENT WAYS, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT HOW WE SLICE THAT DATA TO CONTINUE THAT THAT CAME UP.

UM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT TRADE-OFFS, UM, EQUITY CONT CONTINUES TO BE A MAJOR THEME IN DISCUSSION POINTS.

WE SPENT A BIG CHUNK OF THE MEETING TALKING ABOUT EQUITY AND HOW THAT PLAYS OUT INTO THE RESOURCE PLAN.

UM, THE IMPACTS OF OUT OUTAGES CAN BE DETRIMENTAL TO THE, UH, VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES.

UM, IS WE HEARD SOME STORIES ABOUT ALL OF THAT, AND WE HEARD A LOT OF PRAISE AT AUSTIN.

ENERGY'S ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP SHOULD BE APPLAUDED AND THAT THEY ARE REALLY APPRECIATIVE OF THE WORK THAT WAS DONE ON THAT.

IF YOU RECALL, THIS WORKSHOP GROUP THAT WE PUT TOGETHER IS VERY DIVERSE.

IT'S GOT PUBLIC CITIZEN AND SIERRA CLUB.

IT ALSO HAS ADAPT, AND IT ALSO HAS THE ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY.

IT HAS A A RP, AND IT HAS A STUDENT THAT JUST GRADUATED FROM A ISD.

UM, WE HAVE SMALL BUSINESSES AND LARGE BUSINESSES, SO IT'S A LARGE GROUP OF, OF PEOPLE.

IN WORKSHOP TWO, WE MOSTLY HEARD DR. WEBER SPEAK, AND WE HAD A FEW QUESTIONS.

SO THERE WAS A LOT OF INFORMATION GOING IN.

YOU SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN MEETING MINUTES FROM BOTH WORKSHOP TWO AND THREE IF YOU NEED MORE DETAILS ON THAT.

BUT THE, UH, TOP THEME AND TAKEAWAYS IS THAT ERCOT AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO AUSTIN ENERGY.

MICHAEL WEBER TALKED ABOUT THE ENERGY MARKETS TRENDS, RESOURCE OPTIONS.

I THINK YOU HEARD THAT SAME THING.

WE WERE, UM, THEY WERE A BIT SURPRISED ABOUT HOW ERCOT WORKS.

THAT IT ALL, THERE'S BOTH BENEFITS AND RISK, AND WE DON'T HAVE AS MUCH CONTROL IN THE PROCESS AS I WOULD'VE THOUGHT BEFORE.

LEARNING ALL OF THIS AND THE DECISIONS WE MAKE FOR THE RESOURCE GENERATION PLAN WILL AFFECT THE TOOLS AVAILABLE IN THE FUTURE TO MINIMIZE RISK, RISK AND MAXIMIZE BENEFITS.

IN WORKSHOP THREE, WE REALLY SPENT THE TIME LISTENING TO THE STAKEHOLDERS AND REALLY LETTING THEM TELL US WHAT THEY NEED TO DO.

AND WE DID EXPLORE SOME TRADE-OFFS BETWEEN AFFORDABILITY, RELIABILITY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY.

AND THEN DISCUSSED EQUITY AS IT RELATES TO ALL THREE OF THOSE.

SO THE FIRST THING WE DID IS WE ASKED THEM INDIVIDUAL SURVEY QUESTIONS WHEN THEY WALKED IN THE DOOR, AND WE ASKED THEM ON EACH ONE OF THE IDEAS, UM, IT'S AN IMPACT TO YOU AND AN IMPACT TO YOUR ORGANIZATION.

WHEN WE ASKED ABOUT RELIABILITY ON IMPACT TO YOU, WE HEARD MINIMAL, INCONVENIENT, ANNOYING.

BUT WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT IMPACT TO YOUR ORGANIZATION, WE HEARD LOSS OF REVENUE, DAMAGE TO EQUIPMENT, INCONVENIENCE, ENDANGER OUR RESIDENTS, UM, EIGHT HOURS, SOMEWHAT SUBSTANTIAL.

AND THEN, UH, IT BECAME KIND OF MORE AND MORE IMPORTANT IN 48 HOURS.

FINANCIAL IMPACTS DEVASTATING, RELOCATE NO WORK.

AND SO RELIABILITY HAD SOME WORDS THAT WERE PRETTY POWERFUL IN THAT INDIVIDUAL SURVEY.

WHEN WE ASK ABOUT AFFORDABILITY IMPACTS, WE ASK ABOUT ONE TO $5 PER MONTH.

AND THEN FIVE TO $10 PER MONTH IMPACTS YOU.

MINIMAL AND CONSEQUENTIAL VERY LITTLE MODEST IMPACTS.

BUT IT REALLY LOOKS AT THE, THE SCALE.

UH, AND LOW INCOMES WERE ALREADY BURDENED.

SO IN THAT PROCESS, WE HEARD SOME EQUITY OUTPUTS THAT WERE COMING

[00:45:01]

WHEN WE ASK ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY WITH THE, WHEN THERE'S A DAY WITH HIGH SMOG, WHAT IS THAT IMPACT? WE HEARD FROM THE INDIVIDUAL FOR EVERYTHING SLIGHTLY AFFECTED TO EXTREMELY AFFECTED.

UM, AND YOU'RE GONNA SEE THAT IN SOME OTHER WORK.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY HAS A LOT BIGGER RANGE POINTS, UH, IN THAT PROCESS.

AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO TO, TO DEAL WITH THE IMPACTS THAT THEY'VE GOT.

SO WE ASK THEM, UM, TO PRIORITIZE THEIR, THESE GOALS.

UM, I WAS TALKING TO SOMEONE ABOUT AFFORDABILITY, SUSTAINABILITY, AND RELIABILITY.

AND IT'S, AND WAS TOLD IT'S NOT A THREE-LEGGED STOOL.

IT'S MORE LIKE A SAMOR.

THERE'S GRAHAM CRACKERS, THERE'S MARSHMALLOWS, THERE'S CHOCOLATE.

SOME PEOPLE LIKE A LOT MORE MARSHMALLOWS THAN CHOCOLATE.

OTHERS HA NEED A LITTLE MORE CHOCOLATE THAN MARSHMALLOWS.

I LIKE MINE.

TOASTED BROWN AND NOT BURNT.

UM, SOME PEOPLE LIKE, YOU KNOW, CINNAMON GRAHAM CRACKERS AND WERE WILLING TO SPAY PAY EXTRA MONEY FOR THAT.

SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT TRADE OFF, THERE'S NO RIGHT OR RIGHT ANSWER THERE.

THERE'S A PERSONAL PREFERENCE.

SO WHEN I, IF I WERE ASKED THESE QUESTIONS, IF I WERE LOOKING AT ME, ME MYSELF, CLEAN WOULD BE REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME.

I'VE GOT MONEY.

I'M ACTUALLY CLOSE TO ST.

DAVID'S HOSPITAL.

I DON'T LOSE , LOSE, UH, POWER VERY OFTEN.

BUT WHEN I'M THINKING ABOUT MY PARENTS, UH, THEY'RE 90 YEARS OLD, AND RELIABILITY WAS HUGE TO THAT.

SO THERE'S NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWERS HERE IS THERE'S JUST WAYS THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT DIFFERENTLY.