MINUTES

Meeting No. 1
Utility Subcommittee of the Energy Task Force
October 29, 2003

1. The Subcommittee convened after a short break. The members of the Subcommittee are: Nino Amato, Kevin Bacon (absent, but represented by Joe Luetmer), Greg Bollom, Scot Cullen, Chris Deisinger, Alex DePillis (absent), George Edgar (absent), John Garvin, Wendy Grapentine, William Harvey, Charlie Higley, Steve Hiniker, Marc Looze, Larry Nelson, David Poklinkoski, Preston Schutt, Lon Sprecher, Michael Vickerman, Mark Williamson (absent), and Gary Wolter.

2. There was a general discussion of the issues and how to address them. Issues discussed included:

• What is the goal for the group: renewable energy sources, long-term plan for energy and distribution of that energy?
• We need to maximize energy conservation. What are long-term energy needs?
• What are the plans to rehabilitate the transmission system?
• Gary Wolter questioned how were the utilities to respond to peak loads versus historic growth and suggested that the Subcommittee needed to get the energy projections of the PSC.
• Hoffman requested that the group select co-chairs and address how it will deal with the other subcommittee.
• Harvey asked if was conceivable that we could meet the energy goals with renewable energy resources. He also questioned if there was a difference between importing renewable energy versus, say, nuclear energy. He suggested that the subcommittee undertake a fishbone analysis of the renewable energy issue.
• Grapentine agreed with Harvey but stated that there may be a potential for greater efficiency of energy use.
• Garvin stated that ATC has a 10-year forecast of energy needs based upon data submitted by the utilities. ATC also has a model of the transmission system, which could be presented to the subcommittee.
• Gary Wolter suggested that there was another constituency represented by AARP and low-income representatives that were concerned with the cost of energy and those groups were not represented on the subcommittee.
• Amato stated that the We the People Energy Model developed by Paul Meier would be helpful in understanding the cost relationships between various energy sources. He felt that the residents of Dane County need to push for both conservation and energy renewables. In addition, the funding of conservation measures need to be returned by the State to the purpose that they were originally collected, that being energy conservation.
• It was suggested that we contact other cities that are acknowledged as leaders in the development of green power. The cities of Austin, Sacramento, San Francisco, Chicago, Boulder and Seattle were cited as examples.
• It was suggested that this committee be renamed the “Infrastructure Subcommittee.”
• What does a “high tech city” look like?
• We should provide a list of conservation measures to the other subcommittee.
• Looze suggested that we need to improve existing energy facilities and provide cleaner air.
• Responding to a question about involving transportation, Hoffman responded that we have a large charge with energy and that other groups were working on transportation.
• Hiniker suggested that the Task Force needed to reach out to the community.
• Harvey stated that renewable energy sources are of great interest, we need to be concerned about reliability. Luetmer also questioned what was needed to ensure energy reliability.

3. At the next meeting we shall review the ATC Transmission Model. The third meeting, Grapentine will arrange for the Meier simulation model. Vickerman agreed to determine what other cities were doing. Grapentine will also consider a representative from the biotech industry/UW and a low-income representative.

4. Michael Vickerman (RENEW Wisconsin) and Preston Schutt (Wisconsin Division of Energy) agreed to be the co-chairs of the subcommittee.

5. Future meeting dates for the Utility Subcommittee were established as November 19, 2003 and December 17, 2003, both being from 5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. in Room 300 of the Madison Municipal Building, 215 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.

Submitted by:

Larry D. Nelson, P.E.
City Engineer