$350M Vote on CPS Energy's Save for Tomorrow Energy Plan (STEP)
Event Details
On Thursday, San Antonio City Council members will decide whether to continue funding CPS Energy’s Save for Tomorrow Energy Plan through a fuel surcharge. The program is credited for saving the community millions of dollars by preventing the need for more than 800MW of energy generation over 10 years. CPS’s efficiency strategies have historically included smart meters, free weatherization programs, solar rebates, and more. This proposed five-year extension cuts solar rebates from the list but would direct more resources into low-income communities, expand the City’s EV charging network, and invest more in battery storage technologies.
Last month, CPS Energy’s Board of Trustees approved a mid-level program of $70M that would reduce energy use by an estimated 1 percent per year. About $60M of that would be funded through a fuel surcharge passed along to customer bills. Two years ago Texas Sierra Club (via third-party consultant Optimal Energy) recommended saving 1.5% per year with a new STEP program—more than Austin and San Antonio’s utilities, but not as much as Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
CPS Energy STEP Presentation: https://deceleration.news/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/step-presentation-may-5-2022.pdf
Full Optimal Energy Report and Recommendations: https://deceleration.news/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/FULL_CPS-Energy-STEP-Report.pdf
STEP has been attacked by some on the CPS Energy Board and some harboring fossil-fuel interests within the Rate Advisory Committee, but has advanced in both realms with majority support.
Local climate justice orgs have called for “fully funding” STEP at the $100M/year level.
Click for Council agenda.
You can comment via a public comment session Wednesday night or at the Council meeting on Thursday.
Comment at Public Comment Session, Wednesday night
https://www.saspeakup.com/WI48186
Comment at Thursday’s Council Meeting