| 2 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 3 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
|---|
| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, CPS Energy was established 157 years ago as an |
|---|
| 6 | 7 | | independent energy company, serving the entire San Antonio |
|---|
| 7 | 8 | | metropolitan community; in 1942, the city purchased the company, |
|---|
| 8 | 9 | | and CPS Energy is celebrating its 75th anniversary of being owned by |
|---|
| 9 | 10 | | the City of San Antonio in 2017; and |
|---|
| 10 | 11 | | WHEREAS, The San Antonio municipal government acquired the |
|---|
| 11 | 12 | | former City Public Service Company for $34 million, an investment |
|---|
| 12 | 13 | | that has since returned nearly $7 billion; the utility was later |
|---|
| 13 | 14 | | renamed CPS Energy, and over the years, its commitment to |
|---|
| 14 | 15 | | innovation has greatly benefited area residents; and |
|---|
| 15 | 16 | | WHEREAS, In the 1950s, CPS Energy introduced a customer |
|---|
| 16 | 17 | | service phone system and installed the first streetlight system |
|---|
| 17 | 18 | | downtown; during the 1970s, it partnered with other utilities on a |
|---|
| 18 | 19 | | jointly owned nuclear power venture, now known as the South Texas |
|---|
| 19 | 20 | | Project, and in the following decade, the company initiated Project |
|---|
| 20 | 21 | | WARM to help those in need pay their winter utility bills; in its |
|---|
| 21 | 22 | | first two years alone, this commendable fund-raising effort |
|---|
| 22 | 23 | | provided assistance to 4,000 families; in 2002, in coordination |
|---|
| 23 | 24 | | with the City of San Antonio and Bexar County, CPS Energy |
|---|
| 24 | 25 | | established the Residential Energy Assistance Program, a nonprofit |
|---|
| 25 | 26 | | organization that assists low-income families with children, |
|---|
| 26 | 27 | | elderly individuals, or persons with disabilities in the household; |
|---|
| 27 | 28 | | since its creation, the program has raised $22.4 million and |
|---|
| 28 | 29 | | assisted more than 76,000 households; and |
|---|
| 29 | 30 | | WHEREAS, In the 1990s, CPS Energy introduced two coal-fired |
|---|
| 30 | 31 | | power plants, J. K. Spruce Units 1 and 2, and over time, it has made |
|---|
| 31 | 32 | | significant investments in emissions control technology to Unit 2; |
|---|
| 32 | 33 | | the utility's 2012 acquisition of the Rio Nogales natural gas plant |
|---|
| 33 | 34 | | in Seguin significantly increased the use of lower carbon fuels, |
|---|
| 34 | 35 | | and since the turn of the century, the company has also become one |
|---|
| 35 | 36 | | of the largest buyers of wind energy in the country, as well as |
|---|
| 36 | 37 | | number one in Texas for solar generation; today, CPS Energy serves |
|---|
| 37 | 38 | | 801,000 electric and 342,000 natural gas customers, whose energy |
|---|
| 38 | 39 | | bills rank among the lowest of those in the 20 largest cities in the |
|---|
| 39 | 40 | | United States; and |
|---|
| 40 | 41 | | WHEREAS, Through its ownership of CPS Energy, the City of San |
|---|
| 41 | 42 | | Antonio has ensured that its citizens have access to affordable, |
|---|
| 42 | 43 | | reliable, and environmentally responsible energy for three |
|---|
| 43 | 44 | | quarters of a century, and this significant milestone truly merits |
|---|
| 44 | 45 | | special recognition; now, therefore, be it |
|---|
| 45 | 46 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
|---|
| 46 | 47 | | Legislature hereby commemorate the 75th anniversary of San |
|---|
| 47 | 48 | | Antonio's purchase of CPS Energy and extend to the City of San |
|---|
| 48 | 49 | | Antonio and to all those associated with this outstanding public |
|---|
| 49 | 50 | | utility sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it |
|---|
| 50 | 51 | | further |
|---|
| 51 | 52 | | RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared |
|---|
| 52 | 53 | | for the City of San Antonio and CPS Energy as an expression of high |
|---|
| 53 | 54 | | regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |
|---|