Austin Energy – Voices of Austin @CCLATX

Re: August 9 editorial, “Governor proposes a costly path to energy ‘affordability’”

Austin Energy’s efficiency measures and incentives have kept my electric bills lower.

If Texans’ welfare is important to our Governor, he should look for other actions to reduce energy costs instead of dismantling public utilities.

Public utilities like Austin Energy not only lower bills but support programs to improve affordability and safety.

In a warming world, Austin Energy’s discounts to 80,000 customers can help save lives and improve health. Solar power and battery storage promoted by Austin Energy and ERCOT are the cheapest form of energy on the market.

For affordability and health of Texans, Governor Greg Abbott should instead let us get benefits from Texas public utilities, especially for lower-income households.

Kalpana Sutaria, Austin Chapter, Citizens’ Climate Lobby

Published in the Austin American-Statesman August 16, 2026

Austin Energy indicates it wants to build more dirty energy, fracked-gas plants. They also seem to be in no hurry to shut down our dirty coal plant. We must stop them. We cannot do this directly, but our Austin City Council can.

We need your help sending an email to Mayor Kirk Watson and your City Council representative saying that Austin citizens like you do not want MORE DIRTY ENERGY PLANTS!

You can do this fairly quickly and easily. Follow this link. Complete the form, and click on “start writing.” Add your personal reasons at the beginning of the email that is already composed. You can share general reasons, like you oppose more carbon pollution which kills 50,000 – 100,000 Americans annually, and sends childhood asthma rates soaring. Or you can give more personal reasons, like wanting your grandchildren to have a liveable planet and not to have to tell them that we in Austin, like too many places, decided to try to make a little more money and keep polluting, even after scientists told us it would destroy life as we know it.

Please help us insist that Austin use clean energy and keep cutting carbon pollution, not build new fracked gas plants, and ask that Austin shut down our part of the Fayette Coal Plant as soon as possible.

The Austin Metro Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby voted to join other groups in fighting against more dirty energy plants. Thank you for your help!

Bob Hendricks, CCL State Coordinator
Victoria Hendricks, CCL State Coordinator
Susan Adams, CCL Regional Coordinator, Third Coast Plus