At the July 7^th hearing, Minneapolis City Council members on the Health, Environment and Community Engagement Committee made it clear from the dais they intend for the proposed city-utility partnership to take action to accomplish some significant change in meeting the city's energy goals and vision.

This productive discussion among council members followed a presentation where the City Coordinator shared the Utility Franchise Negotiation Update, as well as the City-Utility Clean Energy Partnership Outline and a receive and file Request about recent decisions on Energy in Minneapolis.

A PARTNERSHIP COMMITTED TO TAKING ACTION

Council Member Jacob Frey echoed Minneapolis Energy Option’s expectations about the city utility partnership:

“What I want to make sure is that this partnership structure ultimately has some teeth... to make some decisions at the end of the day. As many of you know I am not for just for setting up a work group or a task force or a commission or something that talks a whole bunch and goes home and watches TV. I want something to happen at the end of this and so I just need to make sure we are moving in that direction….”

Committee Chair Cam Gordon addressed Jacob Frey’s concern by stating he has a priority to approve a work plan for the first year of the partnership so that they will have items to work on right from the get go.

    A public hearing about Xcel's 10.4% rate increase proposal was held at the Sabathani Center in South Minneapolis on the night of June 23rd. The public testimony by number of people speaking was overwhelmingly against Xcel's rate increase proposal as it stands. A robust presence by the Sierra Club was joined by an even greater number of speakers who were seniors or fixed income ratepayers.

As the testimony went on, a recurring point about the rate increase was emphasized. It is how the Mall of America and large corporations will get a lower rate than residential ratepayers who have a much tighter budget. Speaking of the Mall of America, one of the speakers testifying had observed lamps on the Mall of America running all day when they are totally not needed; making a point about easily preventable energy waste from commercial entities who can more easily pay for energy.

Click Here to see a TV news broadcast on the story saying that if the rate increase goes through 25% would be invested into existing power plants. There is additional coverage in the Star Tribune Here. 

The Citizen's League, which co-hosted today's Best Practices Green Building Tour, echoes the same vision for a new Utility Business model which has inspired Minneapolis Energy Options. See their webpage Here.

What I saw on the Green Building Tour illustrates the imperative transitioning to a performance based utility business model as opposed to a clinging to model where the goal is to merely sell more Kilowatt Hours.

Citizens League and Corcoran Neighborhood Organization will be co-hosting a Best Practices Green Building Tour on Saturday, June 21.

*** This blogpost is also printed in the June 2014 Edition of the Southside Pride.

Right now is a prime window of opportunity for energy sector labor unions, clean energy experts, advocates for low-income residents, businesses owners, building owners, environmental justice advocates, and other energy stakeholders to be asking city hall to include community input into the anticipated city-utility partnership. The City of Minneapolis is currently working to form an innovative, first-in-the-nation Clean Energy Partnership with Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy by end of 2014, as recommended by the Energy Pathways Study that the City Council unanimously adopted in March.