There has been a lot of talk and speculation lately about the proposed energy plan that the Austin city council is considering. This is a great plan for the city of Austin to add more renewable sources of energy including wind and solar. But with the speculation that it could potentially raise utilities by as much as fifty percent in the next ten years, should be decision made by the people.
The city council is set to vote on the ACPP’s energy plan on April 22 and in general I would have to agree with and support what the plan is working towards. Implementing biomass, wind, and solar energies into Austin can greatly improve future pollution and provide more reliable resources in the long run.
However, this is a plan that would have an impact on anyone who pays for electricity in the city of Austin. A plan with such impact should definitely involve more than just a city council vote.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I definitely agree with your proposition that the city residents should have more say in how the city runs its power company. Austin energy has a monopoly on electricity in the Austin and can charge what whatever they see fit. Without proper competition, there is nothing to keep them in line and look out for the consumers. It is a good idea to make a move toward renewable energy for the future. However, if this is a priority for the city or state government, the government should make some money available to Austin Energy for its experiment in this manner. Raising energy costs by 50% is very impactful to everyday citizens and would be harmful to the economy.
ReplyDeleteThe way I see it is there are two options. First, the city should put it out to a vote. The vote would be on whether the city should appropriate funds to expand Austin Energy. The second option would be selling bonds to pay for the new expansion. If the Austin Energy can cut costs in the long run by using wind and solar, they should be able to pay off bonds in the long term.
If the city government is not willing to pay and the citizens are not willing to fund via bonds, then the plan should not go forward.