PUBLIC HEARING ON AUGUST 10, 6 PM -CARBON FREE AUSTIN BY 2030

Fight Climate Change – Support CARBON FREE AUSTIN BY 2030

On Thursday August 10^th, Austinites can have a powerful impact on climate change.  70% of carbon emissions are generated in cities. Barriers exist at other levels of government, but CITIES can choose to support a clean, just, and affordable energy future—dozens of American cities have already committed to carbon-free goals.  Save this date, and come and let our City Council know that we want strong energy justice and equity goals, great jobs, and an energy plan that  puts our utility on a path to be 100% carbon-free by 2030. 

 Thurs. AUGUST 10, 6 PM – RALLY AND PUBLIC HEARING at CITY HALL for a CARBON-FREE AUSTIN BY 2030. 

To ensure Austin is a leader on climate justice, we want Austin to adopt a plan that retires all our dirty fossil fuel plants, and expands renewable energy, local solar, energy efficiency and energy storage goals to put the utility on a path to be 100% carbon-free by 2030. The plan should also make local solar more accessible to low-income residents and renters to improve equity and provide much needed bill relief.

What you can do right now: 

Call your council member (512-974-2000) and Mayor Adler (512-978-2100), then send an email to the entire city council at http://www.austintexas.gov/email/all-council-members.

Visit the Facebook event page: People's Hearing for Carbon-Free Austin (please share and invite Facebook friends).  Hashtag: #CarbonFreeby2030. 

WEAR GREEN on August 10^th, come to the rally at 6:00, and then let's fill the City Hall Council chamber to let them know we want a carbon-free Austin by 2030. 

Here are some more points you can communicate to City Council. But don't get bogged down in details--tell your own story about why you want strong climate goals and a just and equitable transition to a clean energy future.

•   Austin should adopt the goal that Austin Energy will use only 100% carbon-free electricity by 2030.   Let’s set interim goals that are strong enough so that we will be on track to be carbon-free by 2030.  
• A goal of 75% renewables by 2027 would show commitment to a carbon-free by 2030 future.
• Retire all of our dirty coal and gas-burning fossil fuel plants. Retire the Decker Creek Gas Plant by 2020, and the Sand Hill gas plant no later than 2030.
• Increase our local solar, energy efficiency, storage,  and demand-response goals, and plan to support the introduction of electric vehicles and prepare to use them as a resource.

ENERGY JUSTICE AND EQUITY

•  Make local clean energy more accessible for low-income and working class people. 
•   Create a rooftop solar program that requires no upfront investment from customers, like San Antonio’s Solar Host program.
•  Implement a fractional billing program so that solar benefits will be more accessible to renters.  
•  Increase energy efficiency programs such as weatherization.  These programs have a high paypack. 
•  Calculate affordability limitations according to bill impact to recognize that when programs lower the amount of energy used, bills are lower and customers save. An energy burden analysis would factor in ability to pay by considering income data.