CPS Energy speaks on the future of coal in San Antonio
Statement by Public Citizen
By DeeDee Belmares
Note: Today CPS Energy Board Chair Dr. Willis Mackey introduced, and the CPS Board passed 4-1, a resolution regarding the timeline to end the use of coal for energy generation in San Antonio. Public Citizen’s Climate Justice Organizer DeeDee Belmares offered the following statement.
We applaud Dr. Mackey for offering a path to finally shut the polluting Spruce Coal Plant, and the board for supporting it. The resolution calls for the Rate Advisory Committee to “consider the costs, timeline and generation alternatives necessary to transition from coal to lower emission cleaner alternatives by the 2030 timeframe.”
CPS Energy must not fall into the trap of thinking of natural gas as a “cleaner alternative” to coal. Methane – the primary component of natural gas – is the gravest near-term threat to the climate and expanding use of natural gas is antithetical to climate action.
The people of San Antonio want a path to a clean energy future that includes rooftop solar, batteries, energy efficiency and demand response, as well as utility scale wind and solar.
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