In 2009, "It is a literally a matter of one or two parts per billion..." County Commissioner Karen Hubner, recently mapped out ozone nonattainment's economic impacts to Austinites, saying: "The implications are huge and will cost taxpayers a lot of money."
Commissioner Huber explains,
"First, going into nonattainment would subject us to a slew of new rules and regulations that could hang over our heads for up to 20 years after we return to air quality compliance. These regulations would create a lag effect on everything, from higher energy bills for households to creation of new businesses, as well as more expensive transportation projects (that you finance).
Second, "Nonattainment would require us to cede local control of transportation projects to state and federal oversight regulations. Conforming to their regulations would create longer construction times and higher construction costs.
Third, "... our businesses could be subject to much harsher oversight than they currently enjoy... Nonattainment regulations would subject power plants to higher emissions standards, resulting in higher electricity bills. Gasoline might have to be reformulated before it can be used to fuel our vehicles, and your car would be required to pass stringent emissions testing."
Replacing Austin's coal plant offers the possibility of rate stabilization on a significant portion of your monthly bill. By replacing coal with clean, Austin would eliminate the volatility of coal's market fuel costs from monthly bills. This should appeal to rate payers big and small. Over the last 10 years, Austin's coal fuel costs are up 138%, (1) while the sun keeps shining, the wind keeps blowing, and our energy efficiency investments keep conserving --- for free.
AUSTIN -- Two days ago the Pace consultancy reported financial projections on a "Quit Coal by 2014" scenario. In my view, Pace grossly underestimated financial risks associated with the current "keep coal" plan. Risks, which could send Austin's coal costs skyrocketing. Nevertheless, even according to their estimates -- getting out of coal completely by 2014 will cost ratepayers about 5% more per month...
