Explanation
This legislation authorizes the Director of Public Utilities to enter into a contract with American Municipal Power, Inc. ("AMP") to allow the City to participate in a green energy program called EcoSmart Choice. The contract will be a schedule to the existing Master Service Agreement between the City and AMP. Participating in EcoSmart Choice will allow the Department of Public Utilities, Division of Power, to offer its electric customers a green energy option. In addition, this legislation authorizes the Director of Public Utilities to enroll the City's three water plants and two wastewater plants in the EcoSmart program.
Fiscal Impact: There is no cost associated with offering this program. However, the Department of Public Utilities' participation in the program is expected to increase the Department's electric bill by approximately $150,000 per year.
Title
To authorize the Director of Public Utilities to enter into a schedule to the existing Master Service Agreement with AMP that will allow the Division of Power to participate in the green energy program EcoSmart Choice and to enroll its water and wastewater plants in the program and to declare an emergency.
Body
WHEREAS, the Department of Public Utilities' Division of Power owns and operates an electric utility system for the sale of electric power to its customers; and
WHEREAS, American Municipal Power, Inc. ("AMP") is an Ohio nonprofit corporation that functions as a wholesale power supplier and services provider for certain member municipalities that operate electric systems, including Columbus; and
WHEREAS, AMP has developed a green energy program named EcoSmart Choice. EcoSmart Choice is a program that allows municipal electric providers to give their customers a green pricing option, supported by AMP's purchase of green / renewable energy electricity products, including the green attributes from energy generated from hydroelectric, wind, landfill gas, and other approved generating facilities; and
WHEREAS, participating in EcoSmart Choice will allow the Division of Power to offer to its customers the choice of green energy, with participation by any customer being entirely optional; and
WHEREAS, being able to offer its customer's a voluntary green energy option will make the Division of Power more competitive; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Coleman's 2010 Green Memo establishes a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions for City operations, and the EcoSmart Choice Program will allow City departments that are customers of the Division of Power to join the program and purchase green energy to fulfill the Mayor's Green Memo objective; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Public Utilities' five water and wastewater plants are responsible for the majority of the greenhouse gas emissions from City operations, and enrolling those plants in the EcoSmart Choice Program to offset approximately 20% of the energy used by the five plants will allow the City to fulfill the Mayor's Green Memo objective; and
WHEREAS, the City and AMP are parties to an existing Master Services Agreement; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Public Utilities, in that it is immediately necessary to execute a schedule to the existing Master Services Agreement in order for the City to participate in the EcoSmart Choice Program with AMP for the immediate preservation of the public health, peace, property and safety; now, therefore
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1: That the Director of Public Utilities is hereby authorized to enter into a Participating Member Schedule to the existing Master Service Agreement with AMP, which Schedule will allow the City's participation in AMP's EcoSmart Choice Program.
SECTION 2: The Director of Public Utilities is hereby authorized to charge any Division of Power customers that sign up for EcoSmart Choice Program as provided for in the pricing and payment provisions of Section 1 and Section 4 of the Participating Member Schedule.
SECTION 3: Once the EcoSmart Choice Program is established, the Director is authorized to enroll the water and wastewater plants in the program.
SECTION 4: That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, where is hereby made a part hereof, this Ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure, which shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.
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