The case for a new gas plant
Climate isn't the city's only priority.
You may have seen that City Council weirdly approved a new gas "peaker" plant for Austin Energy behind closed doors last month.
The excuse for conducting the meeting in secret is that Austin Energy does not want to disclose to potential sellers how much it is willing to spend to acquire the new plant.
Setting aside the legal questions, the Council members should be transparent with their constituents about whether they support the acquisition or not. They approved the new gas plant because Austin Energy's professional staff told them it was the right thing to do. They shouldn't be ashamed to say that.
