Newsletter Signup
The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.
-
Most Popular Stories
- Former Council Member and dedicated environmentalist Jackie Goodman has died
- Despite safety concerns, Council OKs new buildings above Shoal Creek
- A multi-family rezoning at the rugged edge of Northwest Austin
- Texas lawmakers finalize bill limiting property owners’ right to protest new homes nearby
- As Acacia Cliffs rezoning is approved, Critics say Council has sold out on its affordability commitments
-
-
-
Discover News By District
-
Popular Whispers
Sorry. No data so far.
Energy
Austin Energy's REACH program falls behind its carbon emissions goals
Austin Energy announced last week that it is significantly behind its goals for reducing carbon emissions this year, citing operational and market factors. While the utility hopes to make up some of the gap between now and the end of the…
Energy • By Willow Higgins • Nov 19, 2021
Consumer advocate angry about elimination of hearing
Paul Robbins, a longtime advocate for energy conservation and a critic of various utility providers, including Texas Gas Service, had been planning for months to testify before City Council in a Nov. 18 hearing on the company’s conservation program. So…
Energy • By Jo Clifton • Nov 4, 2021
Austin will keep running Fayette coal power plant, missing key climate goal
Austin Energy will not retire its stake in the Fayette coal power plant next year, the publicly owned electric utility announced Monday. Shutting down its portion of the plant by 2022 had been a key part of the city’s climate…
Energy • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Nov 2, 2021
In the wake of Uri, solar battery sales soar
Seven months after Winter Storm Uri caused the deaths of more than 200 people around Texas and left millions without power, demand for solar power and home battery systems has skyrocketed. Austin Energy has received more requests for solar panel…
Energy • By Eniola Longe • Oct 8, 2021
For most of Texas, this summer was extreme ... extremely mild
This summer the West Coast burned, the Midwest baked and states from Louisiana to New York flooded, but the weather in Texas was pretty OK, actually? After enduring a historic winter storm and statewide power failure this February, Texas got…
Energy • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Sep 7, 2021
Auditors to look at Austin Energy's customer assistance program
Three members of the City Council Audit & Finance Committee want City Auditor Corrie Stokes to look into whether an Austin Energy program that offers bill relief to utility customers is helping the right people. According to a spokesperson for…
Energy • By Jo Clifton • Aug 20, 2021
Subscribe to our newsletter
Legislators respond to winter storm with new requirements for energy providers
The Electric Utility Commission received an update last week on legislative action related to electric utilities, with Senate Bill 3 serving as the omnibus response bill to Winter Storm Uri in mid-February. SB 3, approved at the close of the…
Energy • By Amy Smith • Jul 19, 2021
Austin Energy leader insists utility is resilient
While Sidney Jackson, Austin Energy’s deputy general manager and COO, told City Council the “system is resilient,” utility customers who went without power for three days might disagree. By Saturday night, power had been restored to 88 percent of the…
Energy • By Jo Clifton • Jun 2, 2021
Gas companies seek interim rate hikes
The three companies that supply natural gas to Austin residential and commercial customers are each seeking a rate increase under the Gas Reliability Infrastructure Program, or GRIP. City Council acted on April 8 and again on Thursday to temporarily suspend…
Energy • By Jo Clifton • Apr 23, 2021
‘We did the best we could’: Commissioners evaluate Austin Energy’s winter storm response
At a special called joint meeting Monday, commissioners from the Electric Utility and Resource Management commissions praised Austin Energy’s response to last month’s winter storm that left hundreds of thousands of people without power for days. Commissioners also offered ideas…
Energy • By Jonathan Lee • Mar 11, 2021
AE chief apologizes for hardships caused by storm
Austin Energy General Manager Jackie Sargent apologized to the community during Wednesday’s AE Utility Oversight Committee meeting for the suffering and hardships experienced during Winter Storm Uri as a result of electric system outages. Even though the outages were ordered…
Energy • By Jo Clifton • Mar 4, 2021
Austin utilities work to help those hit by storm
The wake of winter storm Uri brought recriminations, finger-pointing and at least one major utility bankruptcy, not to mention the sky-high prices charged to many Texas utility customers. Meanwhile, at Austin Energy, officials have been spending their time trying to…
