Backup JSC 2D FPP — original pdf

Backup

WHO WE ARE SUNRISE MOVEMENT AUSTIN Jordyn What do we do? ● Fight for climate justice and a Green New Deal on a local and state level ● Climate strikes & direct actions (sit-ins, walk-outs, protests, teach-ins, and more!) ● Support other movements for social justice ● Endorse & throw down for candidates ● And more! Jordyn WHAT IS CLIMATE JUSTICE? ● Climate change affects vulnerable populations disproportionately ○ Increase volume of power outages in historically low-income/BIPOC neighborhoods during Winter Storm Uri Hanna on the Rio Grande Valley ○ Higher rates of asthma in Black and Brown communities, the effect of Hurricane ● This means that we cannot solve climate change without addressing all systems of oppression ○ Climate justice = racial justice, economic justice, an end to misogyny and the oppression of marginalized people ● “Climate justice insists on a shi(cid:550) from a discourse on greenhouse gases and melting ice caps into a civil rights movement with the people and communities most vulnerable to climate impacts at its heart.” -Mary Robinson WHAT IS THE FAYETTE POWER PROJECT? Cecily ● ● ● ● ● The Fayette Power Project is a coal-fired power plant in La Grange, TX. Began operating in 1979 and is co-owned by Austin Energy and the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). The plant is responsible for 80% of Austin Energyʼs emissions and 28% of Austinʼs total emissions. In March 2020, Austin Energy promised that it would cease operating their portion of the plant by the end of 2022 as part of their “Resource, Generation, and Climate Protection Plan to 2030”. HOWEVER in November 2021, Austin Energy went back on that promise, citing inability to reach an agreement with the LCRA on how to cease operations as the reason. ● We are demanding that Austin City Counsel take action to hold Austin Energy accountable and transition the power plant. Cecily FPP CONTAMINATION & POLLUTION Throughout itʼs 4 decade tenure, the Fayette Power Project has been involved in numerous scandals surrounding its pollution and contamination. ● WATER CONTAMINATION A 2019 study found unsafe levels of contaminants in groundwater near all of Texasʼs 16 coal plants including the Fayette Power Plant ○ Water under the Fayette Power Plant was found to contain “unsafe levels of arsenic, cobalt, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, and sulfate.” ● VEGETATION DAMAGE About ten years ago a wave of dying vegetation in Hill Country near Austin was linked to sulfur dioxide emissions from the Fayette Power Plant The plant had been operating with little equipment to decrease sulfur dioxide emissions Sulfur dioxide is a component of acid rain The dead vegetation ranged from agricultural pecan trees to plants that grow wild in the area ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ EPA VIOLATIONS Cecily ● The Fayette Power Plant has been behind a number of violations of regulations put forth by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ○ In 2011, three environmental organizations sued the Fayette Plant for increased emissions of particle pollution in violation of the clean air act ○ Particle pollution is linked to increased rates of asthma and lung cancer ○ While a settlement was reached in 2013 where the plant agreed to lower soot emissions, other EPA violations continued ○ In 2016 an investigation found that impoundments used to store discarded coal lacked the proper insulation to prevent leakage. This is a direct violation of the 2015 “Coal Ash Rule,” an Obama era regulation aimed to mitigate the damage of coal energy. HISTORICAL CONTEXT - COAL IS AN ECONOMIC LOSER Christian ● Coal is propped up by entrenched political interests. $600 billion are in stranded assets globally. ● By 2030, new and existing coal plants will be more expensive to build and operate than solar and wind worldwide. ● In the US the majority of existing and new coal plants are more expensive than renewables. For Fayette, wind is 18% cheaper net cost. Source: Carbon Tracker FAYETTE FAILED DURING WINTER STORM URI Christian ● Coal is touted as “dispatchable” power. The plant lost 453 MW of power during the winter storm. Also, “capacity factor” is low. ● Majority of power loss was from natural gas. Coal plants also failed dramatically. ● Power plants in Texas are built to shed heat. Winterizing a coal plant in the name of “resilience” would be an unconscionable waste of taxpayer money. Source: ERCOT Lists Generators Forced Offline During Texas Extreme Cold Event THE FAYETTE WORKERS Maximiliano ● The FPP does not guarantee long term jobs - these jobs will disappear ● When this plant is unable to continue operating, the owners will not provide for the plant workers ● We need a plan for new jobs NOW ● Our initiative is in the workers ● A just transition is crucial to addressing climate change in an way that is equitable to all members of a community “That plant is not getting any younger…it will retire at some point.” -Pat Sweeney, VP of Power Production, Austin Energy WE HAVE THE POWER ● If we canʼt rely on our elected officials, we must take action ● Movement needs collectivism, not individuals ● You are a part of this, now and in the future ● Words mean nothing without action Maximiliano “I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves.” - Che Guevara A BETTER FUTURE IS POSSIBLE! Adal ● By centering those most affected, we could level the playing field for the lower and middle class. ● A just transition has the potential to create millions of jobs, especially in a state like Texas, the 5th largest producer of wind energy in the world. ● This transition can include other forms of employment such as infrastructure repair, healthcare upgrades, hiring teachers, and more. GET PLUGGED IN! ● Sign our petition (on our linktree) to support our demands & contact Austin City Council OUR PETITION! Adal ● Donate to us or join our upcoming action (look for it on our social media!) Join our movement : ● Visit our Linktree: https://linktr.ee/SunriseATX ● Keep up with us on Slack ● Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok! @SUNRISEATX ● If you haven't already, fill out our new member form Sources https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2021/11/austin-will-keep-running-fayette-coal-power-plant-missing-key-climate-goal/ https://austinenergy.com/wcm/connect/6dd1c1c7-77e4-43e4-8789-838eb9f0790d/gen-res-climate-prot-plan-2030.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=n85G1 po https://kwhi.com/2022/01/08/fayette-power-plant-ranked-14th-dirtiest-in-the-nation/ https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2021/11/austin-energys-reach-program-falls-behind-its-carbon-emissions-goals/ https://www.citizen.org/news/austins-fayette-coal-fired-power-plant-sued/ https://www.keranews.org/texas-news/2019-01-17/report-texas-coal-power-plants-leaching-toxic-pollutants-into-groundwater https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2017/04/07/report-says-fayette-coal-plant-is-a-money-loser/10020907007/ https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=259331 https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2017/04/07/report-says-fayette-coal-plant-is-a-money-loser/10020907007/ https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/Wind-solar-production-outstrips-transmission-in-16223706.php Sources https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?url=https://services8.arcgis.com/fDPg1Y1qWISLB0g2/ArcGIS/rest/services/Wetland_and_Strea ms/FeatureServer/2&source=sd https://environmentalintegrity.org/coal-ash-groundwater-contamination/ https://www.texastribune.org/2019/01/17/report-texas-coal-power-plants-leaching-toxic-pollutants-groundwater/ https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2013/02/20/lcra-enviro-group-settle-over-fayette-power-plant-soot-emissions/9877231007/ https://www.gem.wiki/Fayette_Power_Project#Groups_plan_to_sue_coal_plant_touted_as_green_success https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/dec/29/coal-plants-blamed-for-dying-vegetation/ https://carbontracker.org/reports/how-to-waste-over-half-a-trillion-dollars/ https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2020/3/14/21177941/climate-change-coal-renewable-energy https://energyinnovation.org/publication/the-coal-cost-crossover-2021/