Today I took a walk around Woodlawn Lake Park after an early morning meeting. It was great to get back out on the walking trail at Woodlawn Lake since it gives me an opportunity to do some thinking while walking. Sure enough, the brain started working while I was hiking around the 1+ mile trail that surrounds the lake. What I noticed while walking along the trail was the large amounts of land that really go unused in obscure places around the park. What I also noticed were a lot of lamps that I’m sure are lit throughout the night to provide safety and security. So why not leverage both components to create a sustainable solution? Read more…
CPS missed a great opportunity in the contract negotiations for its share of STNP. The board and management probably didn’t realize it but by revealing the increase in the contract price by $4 billion CPS could have leveraged public sentiment in driving down the price. By showing Toshiba the public would not tolerate such a large increase in project costs CPS could have taken Toshiba to task at driving for a more reasonable price. Then again, CPS seems to be missing a lot of great political opportunities these days. In an editorial piece in today’s Express-News the editors call for a more formalized reporting process between the public owned utility and city leadership. I couldn’t agree more. Because of the relationship between CPS and the city it is important to understand that the utility is being run in the best interest of the citizens of San Antonio. Read more…
Today Scott Stroud wrote in his column in the Express-News about how Mayor Julian Castro is facing big challenges barely into his first year in office. First Castro is faced with the decision over CPS’s future investment in the South Texas Nuclear Project, an issue that has been controversial since it was first introduced by CPS. In a time when San Antonio is experiencing strong growth making sure there will be a reliable energy source for the future has created the need for a critical decision. Now, after meeting with the Express-News editorial board, Castro appears ready to take on the next infrastructure need of the city – water. But these aren’t the only issues Castro is ready to tackle. High on his list are transportation, education, and development of the urban core of the city. So will Castro’s legacy as mayor be investments in San Antonio’s infrastructure? Read more…
Today an article in the Express-News disclosed that Mayor Julian Castro, in response to a request for open meetings by the Express-News, postponed the upcoming executive session with CPS to allow them to determine what items could be discussed in open session and what required executive session. “There cannot be even the perception that any portion of this process isn’t as open as it should be,” Castro said. One word sums up that move in my mind – COOL! Castro has demonstrated a strong desire to hear the public during his first year in office. He’s learned a lot in the four years since leaving city council and those lessons can help lead to great movements in our city. The question is if the public can learn to discuss the issues in a civil manner. Read more…
Tonight before a crowd of around 300 or so at the Villita Assembly Hall the CPS Board of Trustees held the final hearing before making their decision on future investment in the South Texas Nuclear Project. All members of the board were present along with Mayor Julian Castro. Councilman Reed Williams, the principal council member staying close to the discussions, was also in the audience. The board will have one more meeting on Oct. 5 but will not be taking public input during that meeting. Audience members were permitted to speak for 3 minutes each before the board to voice their opinions. I stayed for about an hour and a half before leaving to come watch the Cowboys game. Even though I left early it was pretty easy to get the basic messages of the evening. Read more…
Recently there has been a lot of talk about solar energy these days as many utilities cope with a need to expand their infrastructure and deal with the environmental impact of generating electricity. San Antonio is among those communities dealing with these issues, primarily because of discussion about expansion of the STNP. Over the past few months CPS, city council, and energy advocates have hosted a number of public forums to learn and discuss options to consider for the future. The discussion rivals only the health care town halls in intensity and interest in San Antonio. San Antonio must address growing energy needs as the city grows and expands its reach into information technology. So with all this discussion is there really a simple answer or is there more complexity to the matter?
Read more…
Monday as I was scanning media around Texas I found an interesting article at the Austin American-Statesman regarding the problem facing the poor and elderly as a result of Austin’s decision to fore go further investment in STNP and opt for renewable energy. It appears that after the cost figures were calculated based on the decision that Austin’s poor and elderly would have a hard time paying their utility bills due to the expected cost increases. Advocates for the low-income residents have been in discussions with Austin Energy to try to plan for how to meet the needs. “We help a lot of people who can barely afford to keep the lights on now,” said Ron Walker, chancellor for the Catholic Diocese of Austin, which calculates electric bills could rise 50 percent in the next five years. What if San Antonio drops investment in STNP? What would happen to our low-income residents and who would pick up the costs? Read more…
A couple of weekends ago during the Fiesta Commission’s Participating Member Organization (PMO) workshop Mayor Julian Castro addressed over 80 participants about a variety of topics including the need to help make Fiesta more environmentally friendly. Earlier, in an interview in the July issue of Texas Monthly (subscription required), Mayor Castro promoted the idea of a green Fiesta during the interview. “We’re going to pass a green events ordinance, as a couple of other cities have done, so that recycling is an integral part of large events like Fiesta,” said Castro. In that same meeting Lanny Sinkin of Solar San Antonio also provided some ideas for the Commisison about how to create a more sustainable environment. But how do you turn one of the largest festivals in the nation green? Read more…
Today was another great day with all the progressive political bloggers from around the nation. Starting with Howard Dean in a panel discussion on health care reform the bloggers got their morning fill of political fodder. In anticipation of “teabaggers” showing up in the crowd signs were passed around that said “Health Care Referm – We want Discussion not Disruption” which made sense. Tweeting that phrase up got a lot of good responses. Later I had lunch with Mayor Bill White, Houston, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. More on that later. The lunch was good but during an afternoon session on energy I got what I consider the big quote of the day for San Antonio. When asked about San Antonio’s issue regarding CPS investment in STNP Mayor White said “I would hate to see a city finance one of the first nuclear projects in the nation.” Hmmm. Read more…
Tonight city council held a special session to allow for public discussion on the proposed investment by CPS for expansion of STNP 3 & 4. The session was one of many being conducted by members of city council throughout the city to allow for public input the upcoming decision by the CPS Board of Trustees on whether to approve investment and what type of investment option to move forward with. Up until this point CPS was proposing a 40 percent investment as a partner in the project with NRG, a New Jersey based energy company. After being elected Mayor Castro and Councilman Reed Williams, District 8, began to question that investment and have suggested a potentially lower investment in the project by CPS, possibly 20 percent instead. Read more…
Today the San Antonio Express-News provided an article on the estimated cost provided by CPS for the construction of STP Units 3 and 4. That estimate of $10 billion, $13 billion when finance charges are factored in, is in line with the estimated provided by the other partner in the project, NRG Energy. The article also stated that the release of the estimate begins a series of public discussion on whether CPS should invest in the project or consider other alternatives. The City of Austin, a current 16% owner of STP Units 1 and 2, has declined investment in the expansion. With these cost estimates CPS expects to raise utility rates by 5% every other year for the next 10 years. However, if San Antonio’s energy needs are not curtailed CPS will need the extra capacity or will have to purchase energy on the open market, most likely at much higher rates. Read more…
Today in the Express-News Jan Jarboe Russell wrote a great op-ed piece on recent news that Mayor Julian Castro had suggested a reduced investment in the South Texas Project, the nuclear generating facility located at Bay City, Texas of which San Antonio currentlly has a 40% investment in. In the piece Russell says that reducing our investment gives San Antonio more flexibility in terms of its energy portfolio and financial feasiblity. “In terms of the city-wide dialogue, we need to make sure that investments in nuclear and renewable sources in solar and wind not only work for CPS Energy’s bottom-line but also for the city’s long-term economic vitality — in other words, the city’s bottom-line,” said Russell. This makes a lot of business sense with regards to San Antonio’s energy future. Read more…
Recent Comments