H.R. No. 1393
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, CPS Energy was established 157 years ago as an
independent energy company, serving the entire San Antonio
metropolitan community; in 1942, the city purchased the company,
and CPS Energy is celebrating its 75th anniversary of being owned by
the City of San Antonio in 2017; and
WHEREAS, The San Antonio municipal government acquired the
former City Public Service Company for $34 million, an investment
that has since returned nearly $7 billion; the utility was later
renamed CPS Energy, and over the years, its commitment to
innovation has greatly benefited area residents; and
WHEREAS, In the 1950s, CPS Energy introduced a customer
service phone system and installed the first streetlight system
downtown; during the 1970s, it partnered with other utilities on a
jointly owned nuclear power venture, now known as the South Texas
Project, and in the following decade, the company initiated Project
WARM to help those in need pay their winter utility bills; in its
first two years alone, this commendable fund-raising effort
provided assistance to 4,000 families; in 2002, in coordination
with the City of San Antonio and Bexar County, CPS Energy
established the Residential Energy Assistance Program, a nonprofit
organization that assists low-income families with children,
elderly individuals, or persons with disabilities in the household;
since its creation, the program has raised $22.4 million and
assisted more than 76,000 households; and
WHEREAS, In the 1990s, CPS Energy introduced two coal-fired
power plants, J. K. Spruce Units 1 and 2, and over time, it has made
significant investments in emissions control technology to Unit 2;
the utility's 2012 acquisition of the Rio Nogales natural gas plant
in Seguin significantly increased the use of lower carbon fuels,
and since the turn of the century, the company has also become one
of the largest buyers of wind energy in the country, as well as
number one in Texas for solar generation; today, CPS Energy serves
801,000 electric and 342,000 natural gas customers, whose energy
bills rank among the lowest of those in the 20 largest cities in the
United States; and
WHEREAS, Through its ownership of CPS Energy, the City of San
Antonio has ensured that its citizens have access to affordable,
reliable, and environmentally responsible energy for three
quarters of a century, and this significant milestone truly merits
special recognition; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the 75th anniversary of San
Antonio's purchase of CPS Energy and extend to the City of San
Antonio and to all those associated with this outstanding public
utility sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared
for the City of San Antonio and CPS Energy as an expression of high
regard by the Texas House of Representatives.
Rodriguez of Bexar
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1393 was adopted by the House on April
27, 2017, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House