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City Council Discusses Energy Policy Jan 6th: Here are the Talking Points - Friday, January 02, 2009

Energy Policy Talking Points

January 6^th Fort Collins City Council Meeting

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The Energy Policy is the first item on the agenda after Consent Calendar follow-up remarks, staff reports, and council member reports. Discussion of the Energy Policy will likely begin at approximately 6:45 p.m. After a ten minute presentation from staff, citizens will have up to five minutes to comment on the Plan. Four talking points follow:

The proposed Energy Policy rightly puts the primary focus on keeping bills affordable rather than on keeping rates low. This will allow Ft. Collins Utilities to offer its customers additional incentive programs to offset the cost of energy efficient technologies, paid for by increasing upper tier electric rates. Customers taking advantage of these programs should see their bills stay constant or even decrease, while their energy use decreases.

The 1.0% annual electric energy reduction target included in the proposed Energy Policy is too low. PG&E in California has committed to 1.26% annual reductions over the next decade, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District has committed to 1.5% annual reductions over the next decade, and Efficiency Vermont has committed to 1.75% annual reductions for two years. Ft. Collins Utilities shouldn’t lag behind these national leaders, it should instead set an aggressive goal for itself that is on par with or exceeds these targets.

Increasing the annual electric energy reduction target to at least 1.5% would lead to significant additional reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This would help close the gap between the Climate Action Plan adopted on December 2^nd and the City’s GHG emissions targets for 2012 and 2020. Increasing the annual electric energy reduction target would also create additional business opportunities in Ft. Collins, and would improve local air quality.

Although the proposed Energy Policy incorporates the City’s 2020 and 2050 GHG emissions reduction goals established in Council Resolution 2008-051, it makes no mention of the 2012 GHG emissions reduction intent established by that same resolution. Meeting the 2012 GHG emissions reduction intent is an important step on the way to meeting the 2020 and 2050 goals. The Energy Policy should explicitly include the City’s 2012 GHG emissions reduction intent.