Dec 10, 2024 City Council Work Session

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YOU ARE WATCHING A MEETING OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL WITH MAYOR KIRK WATSON, MAYOR PRO TIMM LESLIE POOLE.

COUNCIL MEMBERS NATASHA HARPER MADISON, VANESSA FUENTES, JOSE VELAZQUEZ, CHEETO VELA, RYAN ALTER, MACKENZIE, KELLY, PAIGE ELLIS, ZOE CADRE, ALISON ALTER, INTERIM CITY ATTORNEY DEBORAH THOMAS, CITY CLERK MYRNA RIOS AND CITY MANAGER TC BROAD MEMBERS.

I WILL NOW CALL TO ORDER THE WORK SESSION OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL FOR DECEMBER 10TH, 2024 AT 9:05 AM WE HAVE A QUORUM OF THE CITY COUNCIL PRESENT AND UH, WE ARE MEETING AT 3 0 1 WEST SECOND STREET, WHICH IS AUSTIN CITY HALL AND IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS.

THE FIRST ITEM ON THE

[A2. Approve adoption of Austin Energy’s Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2035, which provides a flexible management framework to meet changing conditions, and strategies for energy needs, generation supply, demand response, energy efficiency, and equity. Funding: Approving the 2035 Plan does not have immediate fiscal impact. The future financial impact will be determined as specific projects are presented to City Council to implement the plan over the next few years]

UH, MY PROPOSAL FOR GOING FORWARD IS THAT I WILL ASK STAFF TO STEP UP AND JUST GIVE US A BRIEF UPDATE ABOUT WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS.

WE WILL THEN GO TO PUBLIC SPEAKERS AND ALLOW THE SPEAKERS, UM, A AFTER THAT I WILL THEN ASK STAFF TO STEP UP AND MAKE ANY SORT OF PRESENTATIONS THEY WANNA MAKE AND ALLOW US TO ASK, UH, ANY QUESTIONS OF STAFF.

UM, BUT THAT WOULD BE THE KIND OF THE ORDER THAT WE'RE GOING IN.

SO LET ME TURN AND, UH, ASK THAT YOU JUST GIVE US A BRIEF WHERE WE ARE AND WHAT WE'RE DOING.

GOOD MORNING, MAYOR, MAYOR, PRO TEM AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.

I'M LISA MARTIN, AUSTIN ENERGY'S CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, AND ON THURSDAY YOU'LL HAVE BEFORE YOU VERSION TWO DRAFT OF THE AUSTIN ENERGY RESOURCE GENERATION AND CLIMATE PROTECTION PLAN.

EARLIER THIS MONTH, WE TOOK THE INITIAL DRAFT VERSION ONE TO THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION.

WE DISCUSSED IT AT LENGTH WITH THEM.

THEY BROUGHT FORTH 37 AMENDMENTS WITH SOME OF THEM HAVING MULTIPLE PARTS.

13 OF THOSE AMENDMENTS PASSED IN SOME FORM, AND ALL 13 OF THOSE AMENDMENTS HAVE BEEN INCORPORATED INTO THE VERSION TWO YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU TODAY.

WE SPENT HOURS OF WORK, UH, COLLABORATING WITH THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION, AND WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THEIR TIME AND THEIR EFFORTS TO DIG INTO THE DETAILS WITH US.

THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION ULTIMATELY PASSED THE PLAN YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU NINE IN FAVOR, ONE AGAINST AND ONE ABSTAIN ABSTENTION.

AND SO EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, WE'VE WORKED TO INCORPORATE AS MUCH AS WE CAN WHILE MAINTAINING THE FLEXIBILITY TO MEET OUR COMMUNITY'S COLLECTIVE VALUES OF RELIABILITY, AFFORDABILITY, ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY, AND ENERGY EQUITY.

THE PLAN WAS CREATED WITH THE COMMISSION AND WITH THE COMMUNITY, AND IT BALANCES THE PRIORITIES THEY TOLD US THEY VALUE LOUD AND CLEAR.

I LOOK FORWARD TO DISCUSSING WITH YOU FURTHER TODAY, MAYOR.

GREAT, THANK YOU WITH THAT, UM, WE'LL, I'LL TURN TO THE CITY CLERK AND ASK THAT YOU CALL SPEAKERS AND ALLOW THE SPEAKERS, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME FORWARD AND GIVE THEIR PUBLIC COMMENT.

EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO GIVE US PUBLIC COMMENT AND KEEP IN MIND THAT WE WILL HAVE THIS BACKUP ON THURSDAY, WHICH WILL ALSO ALLOW FOR ADDITIONAL PUBLIC COMMENT.

THANK YOU MAYOR.

FIRST SPEAKER IS CAROLYN KRUM.

IF YOUR NAME HELLO? YES, PLEASE CAN, PLEASE GO FORWARD.

GOOD MORNING.

AUSTIN ENERGY'S DRAFT PLAN BREAKS OUR PREVIOUS COMMITMENT TO NOT ADD ANY CARBON EMITTING RESOURCES.

THE GREEN MODELS THEY LOOKED AT PERFORMED WELL.

YET OUR UTILITY CONTINUES TO INSIST ON NEW FOSSIL FUEL PLANTS.

THE DRAFT PLAN DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A SPECIFIC GOAL FOR SO SHORT DURATION LOCAL BATTERY STORAGE, WHICH WOULD ADDRESS NEAR FUTURE NEEDS WHEN COMBINED WITH LOCAL SOLAR ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND DEMAND RESPONSE.

UTILITIES ALL ACROSS YOUR ERCOT ARE USING BATTERY STORAGE FOR RELIABILITY.

AND AUSTIN SHOULD TOO.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE AMENDMENTS BY COUNCIL MEMBERS RYAN ALTER, JOSE VAL VELAZQUEZ AND ZOE CADRY.

TO RYAN ALTER'S AMENDMENT ON THE LOCAL BATTERY STORAGE.

I SUGGEST ADDING THE REQUIREMENT THAT THE PRESENTATION TO THE COUNCIL ON THE FOUND FINDINGS BE DONE BY FEBRUARY OF NEXT YEAR.

THE DRAFT PLAN IS TITLED POWERING AUSTIN'S CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE, BUT IT MENTIONS STUDYING NUCLEAR POWER.

NUCLEAR PLANTS ARE NEITHER CLEAN NOR CARBON FREE, AND AUSTIN ENERGY SHOULD STOP

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SO THERE'S NO REASON TO EVEN STUDY NUCLEAR AS THE PLAN SUGGESTS.

NUCLEAR ENERGY IS BY FAR THE MOST EXPENSIVE FORM OF ENERGY, AND IT'S A CARBON INTENSIVE AND EXTRACTIVE ENERGY SOURCE LIKE FOSSIL FUELS.

TO COMPARE IT FAIRLY WITH RENEWABLES, NUCLEAR ENERGY'S CARBON EMISSIONS NEED TO INCLUDE EMISSIONS FROM THE WHOLE LIFECYCLE.

IT PRODUCES TWICE THE GREENHOUSE GASES OF SOLAR AND SIX TIMES AS MUCH AS LAND-BASED WIND.

THE COST OF STORING HIGHLY RADIOACTIVE WASTE ESSENTIALLY FOREVER WOULD BE IMMENSE AND IS TOTALLY UNKNOWN.

A STANFORD STUDY CONCLUDED THAT SMALL MODULAR REACTORS WOULD PRODUCE TWO TO 30 TIMES THE AMOUNT OF HIGH LEVEL WASTE AS PRESENT DAY REACTORS, YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU A MAJOR CLIMATE POLICY DECISION, WHICH WILL ALSO IMPACT LOCAL PO AIR POLLUTION FOR DECADES TO COME, WE NEED TO MAINTAIN OUR COMMITMENT TO BOTH NO NEW FO FOSSIL FUEL PLANTS AND NO NEW NUCLEAR PLANTS.

PLEASE VOTE FOR A POLLUTION, POLLUTION FREE AND CLIMATE FRIENDLY FUTURE.

THANK YOU.

THAT CONCLUDES ALL OF THE REMOTE SPEAKERS.

WE'LL MOVE TO IN-PERSON SPEAKERS.

FIRST SPEAKER IS KABA WHITE WITH TIME DONATED FROM CAMILLE COOK.

IS MS. COOK OR MR. COOK HERE? YES.

OKAY.

SO KABA WHITE WILL HAVE FOUR MINUTES TO SPEAK, FOLLOWED BY BECKY HELPIN AND AL BRADEN.

GOOD MORNING.

MY NAME IS KABA WHITE AND I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF PUBLIC CITIZENS TEXAS OFFICE, OUR SUPPORTERS, AND ALSO AS AN EAST AUSTIN RESIDENT WITH A CHILD.

THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.

AS WE EXPECTED, AUSTIN ENERGY'S PROPOSED PLAN WOULD REVERSE CURRENT CLIMATE AND CLEAN ENERGY COMMITMENTS AND PER PERMIT THE UTILITY TO INVEST IN FOSSIL FUEL EXPANSION AT A TIME WHEN THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND OUR LOCAL AIR POLLUTION ARE WORSENING.

THE PROPOSED PLAN USES A LOT MORE WORDS AND PRETTY PHOTOS THAN THE EXISTING PLAN, BUT IT'S MUCH WEAKER ON ACTUAL COMMITMENTS.

WE NEED SUBSTANCE MORE THAN STYLE SPECIFIC GOALS AND TIMELINES ARE ESSENTIAL FOR ENABLING YOU AND FUTURE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS TO HOLD AUSTIN ENERGY ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE.

THEY SAY THEY WANT TO WORK TOWARDS AS THE POLICY MAKERS FOR A PUBLIC UTILITY THAT IS YOUR RIGHT AND YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.

THANK YOU.

TO EACH OF YOU WHO ARE PROPOSING AMENDMENTS TO IMPROVE THE PLAN.

PLEASE BE SURE TO DO THE FOLLOWING.

ONE, MAKE CLEAR THAT THE CARBON FREE GOALS REFER TO BOTH SERVING AUSTIN ENERGY, CUSTOMER DEMAND, AND AUSTIN ENERGY GENERATION PURCHASING A BUNCH OF RENEWABLE ENERGY TO MEET LOAD AND NOT PHASING OUT FOSSIL FUEL RESOURCES THAT AUSTIN ENERGY CONTROLS IS NOT CARBON FREE.

THAT IS NOT THE COMMON DEFINITION OF THAT GOAL, AND IT WOULD RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT REVERSAL OF CURRENT GOALS ESTABLISHED.

NUMBER TWO, ESTABLISH INTERIM TARGETS FOR GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION AND REDUCTION OF NOX AND OTHER POLLUTANTS THAT ARE BASED ON TONS EMITTED.

WE NEED ACTUAL RE REDUCTIONS IN THE MASS OF POLLUTION, NOT JUST AVERAGES PER MEGAWATT HOUR PRODUCED.

NUMBER THREE, MAKE SURE THE AE HAS TO BRING FORWARD A CLEAN ENERGY ALTERNATIVE FOR CONSIDERATION IF THEY BRING FORWARD A FOSSIL FUEL PROPOSAL.

LET'S JUST CHECK TO MAKE SURE THERE'S NOT A CLEAN OPTION BEFORE WE DELVE INTO MORE FOSSIL FUELS.

FOUR, TAKE ANY CONSIDERATION OF FOSSIL FUEL EXPANSION ONE STEP AT A TIME TO ALLOW FOR FULL PUBLIC INPUT AND THOUGHTFUL CONSIDERATION.

DON'T COMMIT NOW IN A RUSH.

EVEN THOUGH THIS HAS GONE ON FOR A YEAR AND A HALF, THIS ACTUAL PROPOSAL HAS ONLY BEEN IN PRINT FOR THREE WEEKS OR LESS.

FIVE, INCLUDE THE CLEAN ENERGY GOALS FROM THE EXISTING PLAN IN THE UPDATE AND ENSURE THAT THERE ARE GOALS FOR 2035 AND INTERIM GOALS FOR EACH METRIC.

THIS SHOULD INCLUDE BATTERY STORAGE, WHICH IS ESSENTIAL TO ACTUALLY ACHIEVING A CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE.

THESE GOALS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR ACCOUNTABILITY.

THIS ISN'T AN ACADEMIC EXERCISE.

THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY IS COUNTING ON YOU TO SET POLICY THAT WILL MAKE CHANGE TWO THIRDS OF RESPONDENTS TO A E'S OWN SURVEY.

LAST AUGUST WHEN THEY STARTED THIS SAID THEY WOULD PAY MORE FOR GREEN ENERGY.

WE DON'T ACTUALLY KNOW THAT IT'S NECESSARY TO PAY MORE, BUT IT'S NICE TO KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE WILLING AND OVER 1300 AUSTINITES HAVE SIGNED A PETITION ASKING YOU NOT TO EXPAND THE USE OF FOSSIL FUELS AT AUSTIN ENERGY.

PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS PUBLIC INPUT.

PEOPLE ARE SPEAKING BECAUSE WE WANT A CLEAN FUTURE FOR OUR CHILDREN.

WE DON'T WANT OUR CHILDREN TO BE SUFFERING FROM ASTHMA AND OTHER RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS. WE WANT A HEALTHY COMMUNITY.

WE ALSO WANT A FUTURE WHERE WE ARE NOT FRANKLY, UNABLE

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THIS CITY IS AT REAL RISK FROM CLIMATE IMPACTS ALREADY, AND THAT WILL WORSEN AND AUSTIN CAN AND SHOULD DO OUR PART TO MITIGATE THAT GLOBAL PROBLEM.

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE WORK THAT YOU ARE DOING TO IMPROVE THE PLAN.

I HOPE THAT YOU CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER AND FIND REAL SOLUTIONS TO, UH, AMEND THE PLAN TO IMPROVE IT.

THANK YOU.

GOOD MORNING.

I'M BECKY HALPIN SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THIRD ACT TEXAS, A SMALL TOWN IN NORTH CAROLINA HAS TAKEN, TAKEN A BOLD STEP FILING THE FIRST CLIMATE DECEPTION LAWSUIT AGAINST AN ELECTRIC UTILITY IN THE UNITED STATES.

IT ACCUSES THE POWER COMPANY OF FALSELY MARKETING ITSELF AS A LEADER IN CLEAN ENERGY WHILE CONTINUING TO RELY HEAVILY ON FOSSIL FUELS.

SOUND FAMILIAR? THIS IS JUST THE FIRST OF SUITS THAT WILL BE COMING AGAINST UTILITIES.

AS GROUPS OF PEOPLE REALIZE THEY HAVE BEEN HARMED BY THE CONTINUED BURNING OF FOSSIL FUELS, THE LIST WILL BE LONG.

PEOPLE WHO CAN NO LONGER AFFORD HOMEOWNER INSURANCE BECAUSE OF STORM FLOOD AND FIRE RISK FARMERS WHOSE LIVELIHOODS ARE DESTROYED BY COLD HEAT AND DROUGHT.

CITIES WHOSE WATER HAS DRIED UP DUE TO CLIMATE RELATED DROUGHT, COMMUNITIES DESTROYED BY FLOOD OR FIRE WILL COME TOGETHER AND SUE UTILITIES WHO KNOWINGLY KEPT BURNING FOSSIL FUELS, EVEN BUYING NEW GAS PLANTS WHEN THEY COULD SEE WHAT WAS HAPPENING.

SEE THE HARM THAT THEY ARE CAUSING AUSTIN WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CLAIM IT DID NOT KNOW THE HARM IT WAS CAUSING.

BECAUSE WE HAVE A CLIMATE PROTECTION PLAN, WE UNDERSTAND THE CONNECTION BETWEEN BURNING FOSSIL FUELS AND THE DAMAGE IT CAUSES TO PEOPLE, THEIR HEALTH, LIVELIHOODS AND PROPERTY.

NOW IS THE TIME TO LIMIT AUSTIN ENERGY'S EXPOSURE TO RISK OF FUTURE LAWSUIT.

ADOPT AN AMENDMENT TO DECREASE THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF CARBON AUSTIN PUTS IN THE ATMOSPHERE BY 5% EACH YEAR.

DEMONSTRATE THAT WE UNDERSTAND THE HARM BURNING COAL AND GAS CAUSES AND MOVE STEADILY AND CLEARLY AWAY FROM IT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO.

IF YOU, WHEN WHEN YOUR NAME'S BEEN CALLED AND THERE'S AN EMPTY MICROPHONE, FEEL FREE TO STEP TO IT.

.

THANK YOU.

GOOD MORNING, MAYOR WATSON AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.

I'M AL BRADEN, THE DISTRICT SEVEN VOTER AND AUSTIN ENERGY SHAREHOLDER.

THERE'S A LOT OF PUSHBACK TO THIS GENERATION PLAN AND THERE SHOULD BE.

IT ATTEMPTS TO WATER DOWN OUR DECADE LONG COUNCIL COMMITMENT TO KICK THE SMOKING HABIT BY 2035.

WHAT SENSE DOES IT MAKE TO PROPOSE A NEW FOSSIL BURNING PLANT TO BE RUNNING BY 2028 AND THEN SHUT IT DOWN? I HAVE TO QUESTION WHETHER AUSTIN ENERGY REALLY INTENDS TO SHUT IT DOWN BY 2035.

I WANNA SEE THAT COMMITMENT IRONCLAD.

IT'S HARD TO SEE THE NEED FOR NEW PEAKERS.

AUSTIN ENERGY'S OWN MODELING SHOWN TO THE EUC BUT NOT PRESENTED TODAY.

UC IN NOVEMBER SHOWS THEM NOT RUNNING THE DECKER POWER PLANT, THE PEAKERS FOR POWER GENERATION ET ALL.

I'VE EMAILED THAT CHAR ON PAGE 54 TO EACH OF YOU.

IT SHOWS THE DECKER UNITS PROVIDING ONLY ANCILLARY SERVICES TO 2035, AND THIS ROLE IS PROGRESSIVELY BEING TAKEN OVER BY BATTERIES IN ERCOT.

AUSTIN ENERGY'S PREFERRED MODEL SEEMS TO BE NUMBER 14, A MIX OF PEAKERS AND BATTERIES WITH NEW PEAKERS RUNNING 12% OF THE TIME IN 2035, WE SHOULD IMMEDIATELY BUILD THE BATTERIES WE NEED FOR BOTH ANCILLARY SERVICES AND ENERGY IMPORT, THEN KEEP THE DECKER PEAKERS FOR POWER GENERATION ONLY WHEN NEEDED.

I WANT TO SEE US REALLY LEAD WITH CUSTOMER ENERGY SOLUTIONS AND BATTERIES AS THE GENERATION PLAN CALLS FOR BUILD BATTERIES IN OUR LOAD ZONE AND AT OUR WIND AND SOLAR FACILITIES.

THEY WILL ALL HELP MITIGATE PRICE SEPARATION AND TRANSMISSION CONSTRAINTS THAT ARE URGENTLY NEEDED.

ERCOT ALREADY HAS 10,000 MEGAWATTS OF BATTERIES UP AND RUNNING, AND THEY WILL DOUBLE THAT NEXT YEAR.

AND AGAIN, THE NEXT, ALL OF THESE BATTERIES WILL STABILIZE THE GRID.

AUSTIN HAS ONLY THREE MEGAWATTS, THREE MEGAWATTS OF BATTERIES.

WHERE'S OUR GEN PLAN GOAL FOR BATTERIES? MANY COUNCIL MEMBER AMENDMENTS SUPPORT THAT AND I ASK YOU TO PLEASE VOTE FOR THE AMENDMENTS THAT SUPPORT ACCELERATED BATTERY DEPLOYMENT.

THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU.

NEXT SET OF SPEAKERS IS RICHARD HALPIN.

ITS FOLLOWED BY JORGE RO AND EILEEN MCINNIS.

GOOD TO SEE YOU.

GOOD

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HELLO, MAYOR.

CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, EXTRAORDINARY CITY STAFF.

UH, I AM RICHARD HALPIN.

I AM REPRESENTING THE, UH, TEXAS ALLIANCE OF RETIRED AMERICANS.

UH, TODAY I KNOW YOU ARE CONSIDERING USING TAXPAYER MONEY TO PURCHASE, UH, DANGEROUS FOSSIL FUEL BURNING GENERATION PLANT.

UH, HERE IS WHAT THIS LETHAL, LETHAL PLANT WILL PRODUCE.

MICHAEL, GIMME THE FIRST SLIDE, PLEASE.

UM, CAN YOU GO, UH, UP ONE? THERE IT IS.

UH, ONE OF THE CHEMICALS AND MAYOR, YOU KNOW THIS, ONE OF THE CHEMICALS IS NOX AND, UM, THESE SUBSTANCES CAN LEAD TO A NUMBER OF HEALTH ISSUES, INCLUDING HEART ATTACKS, SHORTNESS OF BREATH, AND PREMATURE DEATH.

MICHAEL, CAN YOU GO UP ONE MORE, UH, UP THE OTHER WAY.

ONE MORE, TWO MORE.

THAT'S IT RIGHT THERE.

SO, UH, NOT ONLY IS THE NITROGEN OXIDE, CARBON DIOXIDE, SULFUR DIOXIDE, PARTICULATE MATTER, MERCURY AND EXPOSURE TO MERCURY CAN INCREASE THE RISK OF CANCER AND IMMUNE SYSTEM DAMAGE.

ALSO, THESE MATERIALS WILL POLLUTE THE LAKE.

THERE'S A HUGE LAKE RIGHT THERE, YOU ALL KNOW, AND THIS, THESE MATERIALS WILL KILL THAT LAKE AND EVERYTHING IN IT.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, MICHAEL.

THE OTHER THING I'M SURE YOU ALL KNOW IS DOWN NEAR ON THE RIGHT IS THE DECKER POWER PLANT.

THE TWO OTHER ARROWS ARE SCHOOLS.

THERE'S AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, DECKER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL RIGHT DOWN THE STREET, AND THERE'S DECKER MIDDLE SCHOOL, WHICH IS ALSO RIGHT ACROSS THE HIGHWAY, RIGHT ACROSS DECKER LANE.

THESE CHILDREN AND THE STAFF THERE WILL BE EXPOSED TO THESE CHEMICALS.

I DON'T KNOW HOW WE CAN DO THIS.

UH, WHEN I RESEARCHED THIS, I FOUND THIS INFORMATION SO ALARMING THAT I THOUGHT, YOU PROBABLY DON'T KNOW THIS EITHER, THAT THIS MATERIAL IS COMING OUT OF THESE, WOULD COME OUT OF THESE PLANTS AND BE SO DETRIMENTAL TO, TO OUR KIDS' HEALTH.

YOU KNOW THIS, WE CAN'T DO THIS.

THIS IS CRAZY TO SPEND OUR MONEY ON MATERIALS THAT'LL KILL PEOPLE.

SO PLEASE DON'T DO THIS.

THANK YOU, SIR.

HELLO, MY NAME IS JORGE VIRO.

I'M ALSO ENERGY RATE PAYER.

I'M HERE TO OPPOSE AUSTIN ENERGY PROPOSAL TO BUILD NEW GAS, UH, PICKER PLANTS.

YOU HAVE RECEIVED ADVICE FROM SEVERAL CONSULTANTS ON THIS MATTER.

YOU HAVE BEEN TOLD TO BE DESCRIPTIVE, NOT PRESCRIPTIVE ON HOW TO REDUCE POLLUTION.

MEANING TELL AE THAT YOU WANT POLLUTION TO BE REDUCED BUT NOT HOW TO ACHIEVE IT.

THIS IS GENERALLY A GOOD IDEA.

HOWEVER, IN SOME CASES, SOCIETIES HAVE THE RIGHT INDEED THE DUTY TO BE VERY PRESCRIPTIVE.

AS AN EXAMPLE, TAKE THE DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE LAW.

AND EVEN FURTHER, YOU RECENTLY INTRODUCED NO REFUSAL INITIATIVE.

YOU DID NOT INTRODUCE IT BECAUSE YOU HAVE DICTATORIAL TENDENCIES.

YOU DID IT BECAUSE THE HARM THAT INNOCENT THIRD PARTIES WILL SUFFER FULLY JUSTIFIED BEING PRESCRIPTIVE IN THIS CASE, THE HEALTH AND HARM THAT THE AUSTIN POPULATION WILL SUFFER IN TERMS OF ADDITIONAL ASTHMA AND CANCER CASES FULLY JUSTIFY YOU TO SAY TO AE NO MORE GAS PLANTS.

THIS IS SIMPLY A MORAL ISSUE.

IT SHOULD BE AN EASY DECISION, PARTICULARLY WHEN THEY VERY VIABLE TECHNOLOGY ALTERNATIVES LIKE SOLAR AND STORAGE AVAILABLE, WHICH ARE ALSO FAR MORE ECONOMICAL.

FINALLY, I THINK THAT THE SOLAR STANDARD OFFER PROGRAM THAT AE RECENTLY INTRODUCED IS A MODEL ON HOW TO MOVE FORWARD IN AUSTIN.

PLEASE ASK KE TO PROMOTE IT VIGOROUSLY AND GIVE IT TIME TO SEE THE RESULTS IT WILL PRODUCE.

THIS WILL ALSO SHOW THE MAP FOR THE FASTER RETIREMENT FOR OF FAYETTE DECKER CREEK AND SUNHILL, WHICH WILL MAKE AUSTIN THE A HUNDRED PERCENT NON-POLLUTING IN ELECTRICITY GENERATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

THANK YOU.

HI, I'M EILEEN MCGINNIS IN DISTRICT NINE.

I'M THE MOM OF A 9-YEAR-OLD AUSTINITE AND FOUNDER OF THE PARENTS CLIMATE COMMUNITY, A LOCAL NONPROFIT.

I'M COMING BEFORE YOU AGAIN TODAY TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO SUPPORT THE PROS PROPOSED AMENDMENTS INTRODUCED BY CMS, RYAN ALTER, ALLISON ALTER, VELASQUEZ, AND CADRE AS THE BEST TOOL WE HAVE RIGHT NOW TO HOLD THE LINE ON NEW GAS GENERATION IN AUSTIN.

I'LL BE HONEST, THIS RESOURCE GENERATION PLAN, EVEN WITH AMENDMENTS, IS NOT THE BEST CASE SCENARIO.

MY WISH WOULD'VE BEEN FOR YOU TO REJECT NEW METHANE GAS BURNING POWER PLANTS OUTRIGHT, AND MY WISH IS FOR A FAR MORE TRANSPARENT AND COMMUNITY LED PLANNING PROCESS IN THE FUTURE.

THESE AMENDMENTS ARE STILL NECESSARY TO SUPPORT BECAUSE THEY PROVIDE CLEAR TIME, BOUND CLEAN ENERGY GOALS AND GUARDRAILS ON NEW FOSSIL FUEL GENERATION.

WHEN WE OPERATE UNDER CONSTRAINTS, WE INNOVATE,

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THERE ARE SO MANY TOOLS THAT WE HAVE NOT YET EXHAUSTED WHEN IT COMES TO MEETING OUR CITY'S ENERGY NEEDS.

BEFORE WE CONSIDER NEW GAS INVESTMENTS SAYING NO TO NEW GAS GENERATION OR AT LEAST NO UNLESS WE HAVE TRULY EXHAUSTED OTHER OPTIONS, IS ALSO A WAY OF SAYING YES, OF AFFIRMING WHAT AND WHO MATTERS TO US BY HOLDING THE LINE ON NEW GAS GENERATION.

YOU ARE ALSO SAYING YES TO THE KIDS WHO LIVE NEAR SANDHILL OR DECKER ELEMENTARY SAYING YES, THEIR RIGHT TO CLEAN AIR MATTERS JUST AS MUCH AS THAT OF KIDS IN HYDE PARK.

BECAUSE WE ARE 100% NOT GOING TO BE SEEING A NEW PEAKER PLAN NEARLY ELEMENTARY BY HOLDING THE LINE ON NEW GAS GENERATION.

YOU ARE AFFIRMING THAT AUSTIN'S CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN AND YOUR ENDORSEMENT OF THE FOSSIL FUEL NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY ARE MEANINGFUL COMMITMENTS THAT THEY ARE YOUR GUIDING STAR FOR DECISION MAKING ABOUT OUR CHILDREN'S ENERGY FUTURE.

AND BY HOLDING THE LINE ON NEW GAS GENERATION, YOU ARE AFFIRMING THAT AUSTIN ENERGY IS A PUBLIC UTILITY ACCOUNTABLE TO WE THE PEOPLE AND WE THE PEOPLE REJECT THIS FALSE MISLEADING CHOICE BETWEEN AFFORDABLE, RELIABLE ENERGY AND OUR KIDS' BASIC RIGHT TO BREATHE FREELY AND TO INHERIT A LIVABLE CLIMATE.

THANK YOU.

NEXT SPEAKER IS DALE BULA, FOLLOWED BY MARIE MCGLYNN AND CRAIG NAZER.

YOUR NAME'S BEEN CALLED.

PLEASE COME FORWARD MAYOR AND COUNCIL.

I'M DALE BULA, DISTRICT 10 AUSTIN HAS A POLLUTION PROBLEM.

THE FEDERAL CLEAN AIR ACT DIRECTS THE US ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY TO SET AND ENFORCE AIR POLLUTION STANDARDS.

THIS YEAR THE EPA IS GRANTING A REQUEST FROM THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF TEXAS TO VOLUNTARILY RECLASSIFY THE SAN ANTONIO NON-ATTAINMENT FROM MODERATE TO SERIOUS FOR THE NATIONAL AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS.

COULD AUSTIN BE NEXT? AUSTIN HAS ALWAYS MET THE POLLUTION STANDARD UNTIL NOW.

WE HAVE TWO AIR MONITORS IN AUSTIN THAT FAIL TO MEET THE POLLUTION STANDARDS, MEANING THE CITY IS NOW OUT OF COMPLIANCE WITH THE CLEAN AIR ACT.

THE LARGEST NEARBY SOURCE OF POLLUTION IS THE FAYETTE POWER PLANT.

IT RELEASES 17 TONS OF POLLUTION EVERY DAY IT OPERATES.

AUSTIN ENERGY'S METHANE GAS BURNING POWER PLANT AT DECKER AND SANDHILL ARE ALSO AMONG THE FIVE MOST SIGNIFICANT SOURCES OF POLLUTION IN TRAVIS COUNTY.

A STUDY BY THE CAPITAL AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS ESTIMATES THAT AN NON-ATTAINMENT DESIGNATION FOR THE CITY WOULD COST CENTRAL TEXANS 0.9 TO $1.4 BILLION ANNUALLY FOR THE NEXT THREE DECADES.

AUSTIN MIGHT BE TOO LATE TO AVOID BEING DESIGNATED AND UNATTAINED, BUT, BUT IT'S WORTH TRYING.

WHILE REDUCING POLLUTION, WE'LL HAVE SOME COSTS.

THE COST OF POLLUTION AND POLLUTING IS FAR GREATER AS WELL AS FUTURE LAWSUITS FOR NOT PROTECTING OUR PLANET FOR THE NEXT GENERATION.

IF WE ADD NEW PEAKER PLANTS, MY FEAR IS THAT ERCOT WILL STILL HAVE THE POWER TO TURN ON THESE POLLUTING PLANTS.

DESPITE THE OBJECTIONS OF AUSTIN ENERGY, ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS DECLARE AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE SERVICE, WHICH REQUIRES AUSTIN ENERGY TO TURN ON THESE PLANTS WHETHER THEY WANT TO OR NOT.

SINCE WE KNOW AUSTIN HAS A, HAS TO REDUCE POLLUTION, IT WOULD THANK YOU, SIR.

IT WOULD BE MUCH CHEAPER.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU MAYOR WATSON AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.

MY NAME IS MARIE MIGLIN AND I LIVE IN PAGE ELLIS'S DISTRICT DISTRICT EIGHT.

I'M HERE TODAY BECAUSE AIR POLLUTION MAKES ME VERY SICK.

I AM, UM, 68 YEARS OLD.

I CAN, ON A DAY LIKE TODAY, I CAN GO OUT AND HIKE OR BIKE FOR HOUR, GOOD HOUR AND A HALF WITHOUT GETTING TIRED.

BUT WHEN THE AIR POLLUTION IS HIGH, EVEN THOUGH I STAYED INDOORS ALL DAY, BECAUSE THIS USUALLY HAPPENS DURING THE HOT WEATHER, IT'S HARD FOR ME TO STAND UP FOR MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES AT A TIME.

I'VE, I'VE PURCHASED A HOSPITAL QUALITY AIR CLEANER THAT'S THE SIZE OF A SMALL REFRIGERATOR.

I'VE PUT SPECIAL FILTERS IN MY HVAC, BUT STILL I HAVE TROUBLE, ESPECIALLY WITH THE OSSO BUT ALSO WITH PARTICULATE.

UM, I'M SURE WHEN THE AIR IS BAD FOR ME, IT'S GOTTA BE BAD FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE BECAUSE AS I SAID, I HAVE NO DIFFICULTY BEING OUTSIDE ON A DAYLIGHT TODAY AND EXERCISING FOR A GOOD HOUR AND A HALF, MAYBE EVEN TWO.

SO MY NEXT MOVE WHEN, WHEN WE HAVE THE NEXT HEAT WAVE IS TO GET AN OXYGEN CONCENTRATOR, WHICH I'LL CARRY AROUND WITH ME WITH THE CANNULA

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AND IF THAT DOESN'T WORK, THEN I'M GOING TO HAVE TO MOVE.

BUT I DON'T KNOW, WHILE I'M HERE, HERE IN AUSTIN NEAR MY CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN, I LIKE THAT.

BUT IF I MOVE AWAY, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO GO BECAUSE OF ALL THE LEAKING WELLS WE HAVE AROUND TEXAS, YOU'VE HEARD OF ZOMBIE WELLS, THAT OLD WELLS THAT WEREN'T SHUT IN PROPERLY THAT ARE LEAKING TOXIC GASES.

SO AIR POLLUTION FROM FOSSIL FUELS COSTS, ACCORDING TO THE WORLD BANK, $450 BILLION PER YEAR FOR AMERICANS, MOSTLY DUE TO LOST WAGES BECAUSE PEOPLE SICK LIKE ME THAT WE CAN'T WORK AND WHEN WE'RE NOT WORKING, WE'RE NOT PAYING TAXES.

AUSTIN'S SHARE OF THE TOTAL LOSSES AND HEALTHCARE COSTS IS OVER 1 BILLION PER YEAR.

THANK YOU MA'AM.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE.

HELLO, MY NAME IS CRAIG NASER.

I AM THE PRESIDENT OF AUSTIN ENVIRONMENTAL DEMOCRATS AND THE CONSERVATION CHAIR OF THE STATE CHAPTER OF THE SIERRA CLUB.

I KNOW THIS IS NOT AN EASY DECISION AND IT'S NOT AN EASY DECISION BECAUSE IT WEIGHS SHORT TERM VERSUS LONG TERM EFFECTS.

THAT'S THE WHOLE THING WITH CLIMATE CHANGE.

AND WHAT WE'VE DONE IS OVERWEIGH, YOU KNOW, WE WANT MORE ENERGY, WE WANT MORE RESOURCES, WE WANT MORE MONEY, AND IT'S WE, SO WE MAKE SHORT TERM DECISIONS AND WE CAN MITIGATE THOSE SHORT TERM, BUT THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS ARE CLEAR.

WHAT MODERN SOCIETY IS DOING IS DESTROYING THE PLANET.

I DON'T THINK ANYONE HERE DOUBTS THAT.

SO I WOULD GIVE YOU SOME ADVICE.

YOU KNOW, I'VE LIVED A KIND OF RISKY LIFE, BUT IT'S BEEN A GOOD LIFE.

THE NATIVE AMERICANS ONCE SAID, SOMETIME IN LIFE YOU COME TO A CLIFF JUMP.

IT'S NOT AS FAR AS YOU THINK.

I THINK THIS WHAT THE BEST THING WE COULD DO RIGHT NOW.

THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD, UH, IDEAS OUT THERE.

I THINK WE SHOULD NOT MAKE THE DECISION ON GASOLINE PEAKER PLANTS YET.

PUT THAT OFF.

PUT SOME TIME AND EFFORT INTO BATTERIES AND SOLAR.

WE'RE DOING A LOT OF GOOD THINGS ON SOLAR RIGHT NOW.

I THINK THAT WOULD BE THE BEST DIRECTION TO GO AND 'CAUSE I KNOW IT'S A TOUGH DECISION, SO LET'S JUST ROLL IT OVER A LITTLE BIT.

TR DO OUR BEST.

ASK THE SOCIETY TO HELP.

EVERYBODY HERE IS WILLING TO HELP.

I'M BUYING A NEW CAR AND IT'S GONNA BE ALL ELECTRIC AND I'VE GOT AN ARGUMENT WITH MY WIFE ABOUT THAT, BUT I'M GOING FOR ALL ELECTRIC.

SO ANYWAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, UH, FOR, UH, HANDLING OUR NICE SOCIALIST ELECTRIC COMPANY.

NEXT SPEAKER IS STEPHANIE CHAVEZ NOEL, FOLLOWED BY JEN KRIEGER AND SEAN VOIGHT.

IS STEPHANIE HERE? I THINK SHE'S MOVING TOWARD THE MICROPHONE.

HI, MY NAME IS STEPHANIE CHAVEZ NOEL FROM DISTRICT EIGHT, AND I AM PRIVILEGED TO HAVE WORKED WITH THOUSANDS OF YOUTH AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS A COMMUNITY ARTIST AND EDUCATOR AND AN ARTS ADMINISTRATOR.

I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS WORK IN AUSTIN FOR 15 YEARS AND ONE OF MY GOALS AS AN EDUCATOR IS TO EMPOWER YOUTH TO USE THEIR CREATIVITY TO GET ENGAGED AND TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMUNITY.

SO HERE I AM TO SPEAK UP FOR THE OVER HALF A MILLION YOUNG PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THIS CITY AND CAN'T BE HERE TO SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.

I'M ASKING CITY COUNCIL TO SUPPORT THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS OF COUNCIL MEMBERS RYAN ALTER, ALLISON ALTER, VELASQUEZ AND CADRY THAT PRIORITIZE UTILITY SCALE BATTERIES, LOCAL SOLAR AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS. BECAUSE YOUTH, OLDER ADULTS, PLANTS, ANIMALS, OUR WHOLE ECOSYSTEM DESERVES CLEAN AIR, WATER AND A QUALITY OF LIFE THAT IS SUSTAINABLE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

WE NEED A PLAN, UH, TO CAP GAS PEAKER CAPACITY TO ADDRESS THE EMISSIONS FROM THE GAS GENERATION IN PLACE BEFORE WE CAN MOVE FORWARD ON MORE GAS.

WHEN I BEGAN TO WORK ON THE OUTREACH FOR CLEAN ENERGY IN AUSTIN, EVERYONE I TALKED TO WAS SHOCKED.

THEY WERE IN DISBELIEF AND DISHEARTENED TO KNOW THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS THREATENED BY NEW FOSSIL FUEL GENERATION AND THE IMPENDING, UH, HEALTH AND DESTRUCTION IMPACTS AIR POLLUTION IS A THREAT TO US ALL.

OUR CITY IS RICH IN PRECIOUS EARTHLY RESOURCES, UM, BOUNDLESS POTENTIAL FROM YOUTH AND AND COMMUNITY.

AND THIS IS ALL COMPROMISED BY NOX

[00:30:01]

AND WE GET A LOT OF HOT AND SUNNY DAYS AND THEY WILL ONLY GET WORSE WITH NEW GAS PEAKERS.

AS I MENTIONED, THE OUTREACH EFFORTS HAVE BEEN SWIFT AND I WORKED WITH AUSTIN SIERRA CLUB PUBLIC CITIZEN PARENTS, CLIMATE COMMUNITY CREATIVE ACTION, AND A STRONG COALITION OF COMMUNITY ADVOCATES AND ORGANIZATIONS, AND WE CREATED A GIANT 10 FOOT SUN PUPPET.

UM, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU JEN CRAGER.

SEAN VOIGHT, FOLLOWED BY SEAN IS CHRISTIAN FOGERTY.

GOOD MORNING.

MY NAME IS SEAN VOIGHT.

I'VE BEEN IN THE INDUSTRY OVER 25 YEARS AND I'M FOUNDER OF THE AUSTIN ENERGY HUB.

ONE OF THE MOST OBVIOUS AND WIDE UNDERSTOOD THREATS TO THE TO OUR GRID IS DISTRIBUTION LEVEL CONGESTION DRIVEN BY LOAD GROWTH AND INCREASING ELECTRIFICATION.

IT ONLY TAKES A FEW MORE EVS ON A HOT AUGUST DAY TO CRASH THE ENTIRE GRID FROM MULTIPLE NEIGHBORHOODS AND NO AMOUNT OF GAS PEAK OF PLANTS OR CENTRALIZED GENERATION WILL SAVE YOU WHEN IT IS CONGESTION BEYOND THE TRANSFORMER THAT IS CRASHING THE BRI GRID.

THIS PLAN HAS ZERO MILESTONES OR METRICS ASSOCIATED WITH MANAGING, LET ALONE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF DISTRIBUTED ENERGY RESOURCES SUCH AS ELECTRIC VEHICLES, ONSITE BATTERIES OR ROOFTOP SOLAR.

AND THE FACT THAT THIS PROPOSAL DOES NOT EVEN ADDRESS MANAGED EV CHARGING SHOULD KEEP ALL OF US UP AT NIGHT.

AS ONE ENERGY EXECUTIVE SAID TO ME YESTERDAY AND I DIRECT QUOTE, ARE THEY TRYING TO BREAK THE GRID YET? DISTRIBUTED ENERGY RESOURCES ALSO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO SAVE THE GRID.

OUR ENERGY POLICY LEADERS KNOW THIS.

EVERY SINGLE PUC CHAIRMAN FROM, FROM SINCE YURI, THE ENTIRE LEADERSHIP OF ERCOT, OUR TEXAS LEGISLATURE REPRESENTATIVES ARE ALL PUBLICLY AND VOCIFEROUSLY PUSHING FOR AGGREGATED DERMS THAT CAN MANAGE DISTRIBUTION LOAD SUPPLY INTER IMMEDIATE RELIEF TO THE, TO THE GRID AND OFFSET PEAK DEMAND.

UNFORTUNATELY, AUSTIN ENERGY HAS DEMONSTRATED IT CANNOT OR WILL NOT ADVANCE SOLUTIONS.

UM, ONE OF THE MOST WIDELY ACCEPTED SOLUTIONS FOR RELIABLE, RESILIENT AND, AND AFFORDABLE GRID.

FOR EXAMPLE, OF THE 20 MEGAWATTS ALLOCATED TO ENERGY BY THE TASK FORCE FOR AGGREGATED DERMS, AUSTIN ENERGY HAS EXECUTED EXACTLY 0% OF THIS ALLOCATION COMPARED TO MORE THAN 50% IN HOUSTON AND BY OTHER UTILITIES.

CLEARLY THEY'RE NOT GONNA GET THIS DONE WITHOUT OVERSIGHT IN ITS CURRENT FORM WITH NO ACCOUNTABILITY OR ADVANCE ATTRIBUTED ENERGY RESOURCES.

THIS PROPOSAL UTTERLY FAILS AUSTIN RESIDENTS ON THE MOST BASIC OF STANDARDS, RESILIENCE AND RELIABILITY.

I URGE CITY COUNCIL TO EITHER DENY THIS PLAN OR TO APPROVE THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS IN ORDER TO ASSURE THAT AUSTIN ENERGY IS, IS ACCOUNTABLE, UH, FOR DEVELOPING AND EXECUTING A PLAN TO ADVANCE DISTRIBUTED ENERGY RESOURCES.

THANKS.

THANK YOU.

HELLO, UH, MY NAME IS CHRISTIAN FOGARTY.

I AM A RESIDENT OF D NINE AND I WAS A MEMBER OF THE STAKEHOLDER WORKING GROUP CONVENED BY AUSTIN ENERGY.

UM, I WANNA PUT, PUT THIS PROPOSAL TO BUILD A GAS SPEAKER PLANT IN A LARGER CONTEXT ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY RIGHT NOW, THERE IS A NEW NARRATIVE OF RISING ELECTRICITY DEMAND THAT IS STARTING TO BECOME PROMINENT.

AND IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS AND DECADE, MANY ELECTRIC UTILITIES WILL BE FACING THIS VERY QUESTION THAT AE IS FACING RIGHT NOW AND HOW TO MANAGE PEAK DEMAND.

THIS RESOURCE PLAN PROVIDES THE COOKIE CUTTER RESPONSE THAT WE ARE LIKELY TO CONTINUE TO SEE TO BUILD MORE GAS PEAKER PLANTS.

BUT THINK ABOUT THIS DECISION IN THE AGGREGATE.

EVEN IF THE NEW PLANTS ARE MORE EFFICIENT AND HAVE BETTER POLLUTION CONTROLS, THEY STILL ABSOLUTELY EMIT SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF GREENHOUSE GASES AND POLLUTION.

NOT TO MENTION LOCKING IN NEW CONTRACTS TO FLOW METHANE THROUGH LEAKY PIPELINES GOVERNED BY THE RAILROAD COMMISSION.

IF ALL UTILITIES ADOPT THE SAME SOLUTION, WE ARE LOOKING AT A MASSIVE NATIONWIDE BUILDING SPREE OF NEW GENERATION OF, OF A NEW GENERATION OF FOSSIL FUEL INFRASTRUCTURE.

AUSTIN ENERGY HAS A CHANCE TO LEAD THE UTILITY INDUSTRY INTO A DIFFERENT DIRECTION DRIVEN BY LOCAL SOLAR BATTERIES.

DEMAND RESPONSE, GEOTHERMAL, YES, NUCLEAR AND ABOVE ALL, EXPANDING TRANSMISSION TO RELIEVE CONGESTION.

LET'S LEARN HOW TO DO VOLTAGE SUPPORT WITH SMART INVERTERS.

LARGE SCALE DEMAND RESPONSE DURING ERCOT PRICE SPIKES AGGREGATING DERS LIKE THE PREVIOUS SPEAKER SAID.

UM, NEW RATE DESIGNS TO INCENTIVIZE HYBRID SOLAR AND STORAGE SYSTEMS. AND I THINK WE CAN DO THIS BY PLAYING THE TRICKY AT THE SAME TIME AS PLAYING THE TRICKY ERCOT BALANCING GAME OF MAKING MONEY AND BUYING POWER WHILE KEEPING OUR CITY POLLUTION FREE.

NEEDLESS TO SAY THIS WON'T BE EASY, BUT IT'S UP TO YOU ALL AS ELECTED OFFICIALS TO TRY TO SOLVE THESE REALLY CHALLENGING SYSTEMS PROBLEMS, WHICH I BELIEVE IS WHAT THEY FUNDAMENTALLY ARE.

MAYBE WE CAN USE SOME FUNDS FROM THE UPCOMING CLIMATE BOND TO RESOLVE SOME OF THESE ISSUES, OR MAYBE WE CAN SET NEW GUARDRAILS AND INTERIM GOALS TO THE PLAN, LIKE OTHER SPEAKERS SAID.

EITHER WAY, THIS IS A HUGE MOMENT AND UM, THANK YOU FOR, UH, LISTENING TO ME TODAY.

THANK YOU RAFAEL SCHWARTZ, FOLLOWED BY SEAN ATKINS AND SHANE JOHNSON.

[00:35:03]

UH, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO LET THE COMMUNITY COMMENT TODAY.

MY NAME IS RAFAEL SCHWARTZ, I'M AN ELECTRICAL ENGINEER.

I LIVE IN SOUTH AUSTIN.

I DO SERVE ON THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION ONLY SPEAKING FOR MYSELF TODAY.

I WANNA VOICE STRONG, UH, SUPPORT FOR THE AMENDMENTS OF THE, TO THE PLAN RELATED TO SETTING UP NEAR TERM, UH, 2027 GOALS FOR LOCAL SOLAR DEMAND RESPONSE, PEAK LOAD REDUCTION, AND IMPORTANTLY, GRID SCALE BATTERY GOALS OF 101 25 MEGAWATT MEGAWATTS BY 2027.

THE RMC PASSED A RESOLUTION THAT INCLUDES EACH OF THESE ITEMS AS TARGETS BY 2027 AND FELT IT CRITICAL TO HAVE GOALS ON A MEANINGFUL TIMEFRAME.

THESE GOALS ARE NOT PARTICULARLY AMBITIOUS.

THEY JUST REPRESENT A PACE DIRECTLY FROM AUSTIN ENERGY'S OWN MODELING AND CONSISTENT WITH WHAT THE UTILITY IS ALREADY PROPOSING.

I KNOW THAT SOME OF THESE GOALS ARE ALREADY FLOATING AROUND IN VARIOUS COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER AMENDMENTS, BUT I HAVE NOT YET SEEN A, A DEMAND RESPONSE MEGAWATT GOAL BY 2027, WHICH IS ALSO CRITICAL.

I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR KEEPING THE 2027 GOALS IN MIND.

AS WITHOUT THIS, YOU KNOW, FROM THE COMMUNITY'S PERSPECTIVE, THIS IS REALLY THE ABSENCE OF A PLAN MORE THAN A RESOURCE PLAN.

THESE THREE YEAR MINIMUM BENCHMARKS ARE NEEDED TO ENCOURAGE PROGRAMS TO BE ROLLED OUT TODAY.

I PERSONALLY BELIEVE THAT EACH OF THESE GOALS SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE AMBITIOUS, BUT THIS IS A GREAT STARTING POINT.

THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A TIME WHEN AUSTIN WAS A LEADER IN SOLAR AND DEMAND SIDE MANAGEMENT, BUT THE REALITY IS OTHER UTILITIES IN TEXAS THAT ARE FOR-PROFIT COMPANIES ARE YEARS AHEAD IN TERMS OF AMBITIOUS DEMAND RESPONSE AND BATTERY STORAGE.

AS FAR AS LOCAL SOLAR, WE DON'T CRACK THE TOP 20 OF MAJOR CITIES.

AUSTIN ENERGY WILL REALLY HAVE TO TRANSFORM THEIR BUSINESS AROUND DEMAND SIDE GOALS, AND I LOVE THE IDEA IN COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTER'S AMENDMENT OF ONGOING REPORTING REQUIREMENTS TO COUNCIL FOR DEMAND SIDE MANAGEMENT.

I THINK THAT'S ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL.

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR INCLUDING THE COMMUNITY IN ALL OF THIS, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN.

THANK YOU.

UH, HI, MY NAME IS SEAN ATKINS.

I LIVE IN DISTRICT THREE.

I'M SPEAKING TODAY AS PART OF THE SUNRISE MOVEMENT, A LOCAL ORG DEDICATED TO CLIMATE JUSTICE AND ADJUST TRANSITION AWAY FROM FOSSIL FUELS.

IN MY DAY JOB, I'M A POLICY ANALYST FOR A SMALL PROGRESSIVE THINK TANK CALLED NEW CONSENSUS, WHERE I'VE WRITTEN ABOUT ENERGY POLICY AND TRANSPORTATION PRETTY EXTENSIVELY.

UM, I WANT TO FIRST OFF SAY THANK YOU TO COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTER, WHO I THINK HAS BEEN A REALLY GREAT LEADER ON THIS ISSUE.

UH, YOUR TESTIMONY AT THE LAST MEETING, I GUESS, UH, REALLY WENT SORT OF MINI VIRAL IN OUR GROUP CHAT.

I APPRECIATE YOU.

UH, THAT BEING SAID, I ALSO WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO SUPPORTED REALLY GREAT AMENDMENTS DURING THIS.

THIS IS WHERE I GET TO THE NEGATIVE PART.

UH, THERE'S A GLARING BACK HOLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PROPOSED PLAN THAT I THINK REQUIRES A FORCEFUL REJECTION HERE TODAY.

I'M OF COURSE REFERRING TO THE PROPOSED NEW NATURAL GAS PEAKER PLANTS.

I'M NOT GONNA SPEND MUCH TIME TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY MAKE OUR CARBON FREE ENERGY GOALS UNATTAINABLE, HOW THEY PRODUCE DANGEROUS POLLUTANTS, OR THAT THEY'LL ALMOST CERTAINLY BE BUILT IN EAST AUSTIN.

OTHER SPEAKERS HAVE MADE THOSE POINTS VERY ELEGANTLY.

INSTEAD, I WANNA MAKE A SPECIFIC PLEA ABOUT WHY YOU MUST REJECT THIS PLAN TO TODAY.

RIGHT? I IMAGINE THAT THERE IS A VOICE IN MANY OF YOUR HEADS SAYING, IF WE PASS THIS PLAN, WE ARE NOT LOCKING IN NEW PEAKER PLANTS.

I UNDERSTAND, I MIGHT BE WRONG, THAT WE'RE AUSTIN ENERGY.

TO PROPOSE A NEW NATURAL GAS PLANT, YOU WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS AGAIN AND APPROVE IT.

THIS IS LIKE SAYING, I'M GOING TO QUIT SMOKING, BUT I'M GONNA KEEP A PACK AT HOME IN CASE I NEED IT.

THANK YOU.

ULTIMATELY, YOU HAVE TO DRAW A LINE IN THE SAND AND STOP SAYING YOU'RE GOING TO ENABLE YOUR OWN WORST IMPULSES.

YOU HAVE TO SAY, WE ARE NOT DOING THIS.

COME BACK WITH A PLAN THAT DOES NOT EVEN PROVIDE THIS TO ME AS AN OPTION.

WE KNOW YOU CAN'T STOP DRINKING IF YOU'RE AN ALCOHOLIC, IF YOU KEEP ALCOHOL AT HOME.

SAME WITH SMOKING, SAME WITH KEEPING NATURAL GAS HERE IN YOUR TOOLBOX.

IF IT IS HERE, YOU WILL USE IT.

IF NOT YOU, WHOEVER REPLACES YOU ON THE DS FIVE, 10 YEARS FROM NOW BECAUSE IT'S AN OPTION AND IT'S THE EASIEST OPTION.

IT'S WHAT WE ARE USED TO.

UH, UTILITIES ARE TEMPERAMENTALLY CONSERVATIVE.

THEY ALWAYS LEAN TOWARDS WHAT IS KNOWN AND WHAT IS KNOWN AS NATURAL GAS PLANTS REJECT THE KNOWN EMBRACE.

WHAT'S POSSIBLE.

SHANE JOHNSON, FOLLOWED BY SUSAN LIPMAN AND JONATHAN SCHARF.

MORNING Y'ALL.

SHANE JOHNSON, HE GAVE PRONOUNS DISTRICT SEVEN.

UM, AUSTIN ENERGY IS PLANNING TO BUILD NEW GAS PEAKERS AS WE ALL UNDER, UH, KNOW NET BY NOW, BUT HAS NO COMMITMENT TO RETIRE THEM BY 2035 OR GO CARBON FREE BY 2035.

THIS IS BECAUSE INSTEAD OF RECOMMITTING TO OUR CURRENT GOAL OF CARBON FREE FOR OUR TOTAL OPERATIONS, THIS DRAFT WALKS BACK THIS GOAL AND REPLACES IT WITH A GOAL OF JUST MEETING THE CITY'S DEMAND WITH RENEWABLES.

IN OTHER WORDS, AUSTIN ENERGY CAN SELL AS MUCH GAS POWER BEYOND THAT RENEWABLE GOAL AS, UH,

[00:40:01]

LIKE RICHARD SAID, WE'LL BE POLLUTING SCHOOL KIDS AND TEACHERS AIR.

THE AMENDMENT BY THE MAYOR IS BASICALLY MEANINGLESS AS WRITTEN.

UH, WE NEED TO EITHER CHANGE THIS TO PUT A LIMIT ON CARBON EMISSIONS THAT EXPLICITLY GO DOWN, UH, EACH YEAR OR REWRITE TO LIMIT OUR NOX EMISSIONS, WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY SUGGESTED FOR THIS GUARDRAIL AND WAS REDLINED BY AUSTIN ENERGY LEADERSHIP WHILE WE SUPPORT THE OTHER AMENDMENTS POSTED.

NONE OF THESE AMENDMENTS REPRESENT REAL GUARDRAILS THAT YOU ALL ARE STARTING TO SAY IS NECESSARY BEFORE WE PUT, UH, BEFORE WE, UH, INVEST IN NEW GAS POWER PLANTS.

UM, AND, UH, ESPECIALLY SINCE THIS CAR, THESE CARBON LIMITS, UH, CARBON EMISSION LIMITS ARE BASED ON THE CURRENT, UH, PORTFOLIO WITH FAYETTE RUNNING.

UH, THERE'S REAL NO REAL LIMIT ON, UH, THESE CARBON EMISSIONS LIMITS PLACE NO REAL LIMIT ON OUR, ON OUR GAS FLEET.

WE SUPPORT RYAN ALT ALTER'S AMENDMENT AND, AND URGE YOU ALL TO SUPPORT THAT AS WELL.

I'VE HEARD THE REST OF THE AMENDMENTS ARE BLESSED BY THE MAYOR ALREADY, SO I'M NOT GOING TO ASK FOR SUPPORT ON THOSE.

UH, AND WE ALSO NEED ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS.

I WOULD PUT A CAP ON HOW, ON THE CAPACITY OF PEAKERS.

UH, WE DON'T WANT TO BE BACK HERE IN ANOTHER FEW YEARS WHERE THEY'RE SUGGESTING MORE PEAKER CAPACITY.

THANK YOU.

GOOD MORNING COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYOR WATSON.

MY NAME IS SUSAN LIPMAN.

I WAS BORN IN AUSTIN, BUT MY PARENTS TOOK ME AWAY WHEN I WAS A BABY.

I GOT BACK AS SOON AS I COULD.

NOW I LIVE IN D FIVE.

UM, IN 2014, I JOINED WITH OTHER CITIZENS OF AUSTIN, MANY OF THEM WHO ARE HERE IN THIS ROOM WHO WORKED HARD FOR A RESOURCE GENERATION PLAN THAT COMMITTED US TO CLEAN ENERGY AND GROUNDBREAKING CLIMATE PROTECTION GOALS.

I REMEMBER THE IMMEDIATELY AFTER IN 2015, AE SOON RECEIVED RECORD LOW BIDS FOR SOLAR CONTRACTS AT 4 CENTS A KILOWATT HOUR.

IT MADE NEWS AROUND THE ENERGY WORLD.

TODAY IT IS BATTERY STORAGE COSTS THAT ARE FALLING STEEPLY WHILE THE COST OF SOLAR IS PRACTICALLY BOTTOMING OUT.

AND SO I AFFIRM WHAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM HAS HAVE SAID AND THINGS SHANE JUST SAID BEFORE ME, AND URGE YOU TO ACCEPT RYAN ALTER'S AMENDMENT AND THE OTHERS.

UH, NOW I'M GONNA SKIP OVER THE DETAILS THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE, UM, HAVE, HAVE COVERED AND SAY THAT OUR GOALS SHOULD ALIGN US WITH A GLOBAL GOAL OF HAVING ALL AGREEMENT, HAVING ALL CUTTING IN HALF ALL GREENHOUSE GASES, NOT JUST ELECTRIC GENERATION BY 2030 AND BEING CARBON FREE BY 2050 TO AVOID THE CLIMATE CHAOS THAT THREATENS ALL OF US AND OUR DESCENDANTS.

I ASK YOU TO TAKE THIS AS SERIOUSLY AS YOU WOULD THE WELLBEING OF YOUR OWN FAMILY MEMBERS.

WE SHOULD NOT BE SLACKERS IF YOUR NAME'S BEEN CALLED.

FEEL FREE TO LET US HEAR WHAT FROM YOU AND JUST STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD.

GOOD MORNING.

UH, MY NAME IS DR. JONATHAN SHARP, CEO OF SHARP ENERGY, A CONSULTING FIRM, UH, FOCUSED ON BRIDGING GAPS AND RENEWABLE ENERGY SPACE.

I A PHD IN NANOENGINEERING SPECIALIZING IN BATTERY AND SOLAR TECHNOLOGIES.

AND I'VE WORKED IN BATTERY RD AT TESLA.

AND AS A SUBJECT MATTER AT ACCENTURE, I DEEPLY RESPECT THE ROLE OF PEAKER PLANTS LIKE SANDHILL AND DECKER HAVE PLAYED IN KEEPING AUSTIN'S GRID RELIABLE.

THEY'VE BEEN VITAL TO SAFETY NET FOR DECADES.

IT'S NATURAL TO FEEL A CONNECTION TO THAT KIND OF ASSURANCE, BUT ENERGY LANDSCAPE IS CHANGING AND WE MUST MATCH THE RELIABILITY WITH VALUE, WITH CLEANER MORE INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS.

ONE CHALLENGE IN THIS TRANSITION IS A GAP IN TECHNICAL UNDERSTANDING OF ENERGY STORAGE.

FOR INSTANCE, SUPER CAPACITOR AND OFF OFTEN CAN HOLD CHARGE FAR LONGER THAN EXPECTED WEEKS TO MONTHS RATHER THAN SECONDS TO MINUTES.

A PANASONIC GOLD CAPACITOR CAN HOLD CHARTS FOR 25 DAYS, BUT THEY'RE BEST FOR SHORT BURSTS AND, UM, THAT'S WHERE BATTERIES SHINE WITH DROPPING OVER 90%.

SINCE 2015, BATTERIES ARE NOW VIABLE FOR EXTENDED STORAGE WELL BEYOND THREE TO FOUR HOURS COMMONLY ASSUMED.

UNFORTUNATELY, THIS LEVEL OF TECHNICAL DETAIL HASN'T BEEN REFLECTED IN OUR ENERGY PLANNING.

THE AMENDMENTS WE'RE DISCUSSING TODAY, PARTICULARLY THOSE FOCUSED IN INCENTIVIZING CUSTOMER BATTERIES AND SHIFTING FROM MEGAWATT REDUCTIONS TO GREENHOUSE GAS AVOIDANCE, OFTEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO CORRECT THAT BY INVESTING IN THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGIES AND ENSURING WE HAVE AN EXPERTISE TO DEPLOY THEM EFFECTIVELY, WE CAN CREATE A GRID IN BOTH CLEANER AND JUST RELIABLE AS THE PEAKER PLANTS THAT WE'VE DEVELOPED ON BEYOND TECHNOLOGY.

THIS TRANSITION HAS A CHANCE TO CREATE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.

INSTALLING AND MAINTAINING BATTERIES, FOR EXAMPLE, REQUIRE A HIGHLY SKILLED WORKFORCE BY PRIORITIZING STORAGE SOLUTIONS.

WE'RE NOT JUST REDUCING EMISSIONS, WE'RE CREATING JOBS AND BUILDING LOCAL TALENT PIPELINE THAT BENEFITS EVERYONE.

FINALLY, I WANNA ADDRESS THE AMENDMENT TO

[00:45:01]

I UNDERSTAND THE ATTACHMENT TO PEAKERS, THEY'VE BEEN A CORNERSTONE OF RELIABILITY, BUT I ALSO BELIEVE THAT IF WE PRIORITIZE SOLUTIONS LIKE SOLAR BATTERIES AND DEMA DEMAND SIGN MANAGEMENT, WE WON'T NEED TO LEAN ON THEM AS HEAVILY MOVING FORWARD.

THIS ISN'T ABOUT DISMISSING THE PAST, IT'S ABOUT BUILDING ON WHAT, ON THE KNOWLEDGE AND THE TOOLS WE HAVE TODAY.

THANK YOU NICK.

NEXT SPEAKER IS AUDREY STEINER, FOLLOWED BY MATT WELDON AND ANNA SCOTT.

IF YOUR NAME'S BEEN CALLED, PLEASE COME FORWARD SO THAT YOU'LL BE READY TO GO.

AND IF THERE'S AN EMPTY MICROPHONE, IT'S YOURS.

GOOD MORNING, I'M DR.

AUDREY STEINER.

I'M IN DISTRICT ONE NOW.

I LOST MY THING.

DR.

VARUN RAY OF, OF UT AUSTIN'S ENERGY INSTITUTE SAYS CONCERNING AUSTIN ENERGY, I HAVE OBSERVED THE FOLLOWING.

FIRST, THEY WERE RENEGED ON THE OFFER TO NEW HOME BUYERS AT MUELLER DEVELOPMENT TO BUY ANY EXCESS SOLAR ENERGY THOSE UNITS PRODUCED.

SECOND, THEY PUT INTO PLACE REGULATIONS, ALLOWING ONLY CERTAIN NONPROFITS TO ACCEPT FINANCING FROM SOLAR COMPANIES, WHICH WERE EAGER TO MAKE SOLAR POWER AFFORDABLE BY OFFERING FINANCING TO INDIVIDUALS OUR CITY'S UNUSUAL IN THE QUALITY OF LIFE.

HERE IT IS A PLACE TO BE PROUD OF WITH CLEAN SWIMMING HOLES, ENDANGERED SALAMANDERS, OUR BATS, AND OUR KEY LOCATION IN THE COUNTRY'S CENTRAL FLYWAY FOR MIGRATING BIRDS AND BUTTERFLIES.

WE'RE THE HOME OF THE LADY BIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER CENTER AND WE'RE IN AN EXCELLENT LOCATION FOR SOLAR POWER.

NEVERTHELESS, AUSTIN ENERGY IS PROPOSING THAT AUSTIN BUILD MORE PLANTS TO USE FRACK GAS TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY FOR AT LEAST SEVERAL DECADES.

BESIDES THE LIFE LIMITING POLLUTION THAT THAT WOULD ENSURE EXPERTS SAY RENEWABLE ENERGY PLUS BATTERIES ARE CHEAPER, AUSTIN ENERGY DISAGREES AND HAS CREATED SLANTED MODELS TO PROVE IT.

WHEN EXAMPLE OF THIS IS THEY'RE USING SOLAR ENERGY PRICES 50% HIGHER THAN AN ACTUAL BID THEY RECENTLY RECEIVED.

INSTEAD OF USING THE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS NEEDED TO BUILD POLLUTING POWER PLANTS, LET'S USE THAT MONEY NOW FOR SOLAR ENERGY.

WE MUST PREVENT THE SUPER HURRICANES, THE HUGE WILDFLOWER FIRES, THE KILLER HEAT WAVES OF EXTREME WEATHER WITH THEIR DESTRUCTION OF HUMAN ANIMAL AND PLANT LIFE.

LET'S HAVE A LIVABLE FUTURE WITH CLEAN ENERGY, NOT THE BLEAK ONE OF FOSSIL FUEL COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.

PLEASE BE OUR HEROES IN THIS.

DON'T GIVE INTO THIS AUSTIN ENERGY'S DESTRUCTIVE PLAN.

THANK YOU.

UH, GOOD MORNING.

UH, MY NAME IS, UH, MATTHEW WELDON.

I'M A CHEMICAL ENGINEER BY TRAINING 20 YEAR RESIDENT OF AUSTIN, FATHER OF THREE, AND I LIVE IN DISTRICT SIX.

UM, I APPRECIATE THE EFFORT THAT, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY AND COUNCIL HAVE PUT INTO THE DISCUSSION AND REVISION OF THE CLIMATE PROTECTION PLAN.