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