Austin Energyfor net zero by 2035, but before it can present the plan to City Council for approval, the’s working group must make its final recommendations. There’s just one problem: The group suspects a fundamental part of AE’s plan could actually make pollution worse, while costing the city a pretty penny to implement.
The EUC group in question is an interesting mix. It includes EUC members, as you might expect, but also community organizations likeThe group understands that AE faces a hard road ahead in getting off fossil fuels in time to meet its 2035 goal, while finding replacement resources able to provide reliable electricity to Austin’s ever-growing population. But it has one big quibble with AE’s proposed path to get there: its reliance on an investment in hydrogen power to replace fossil fuels.
The working group says these options are far superior to AE’s proposed reliance on hydrogen to close the gap.
Austin Energy was not ready to present its final plan Monday, so a decision will not be made by the EUC until its next meeting, March 18. City Council is set to vote on the plan by late March, but that date could be extended out further depending on AE’s readiness.