Colorado Springs Utilities: Planning Our Energy Future

Current Public Participation Program -Electric Integrated Resource Plan (EIRP)

What is an EIRP?An EIRP is a long-term strategic plan, which considers both demand-side and supply-side options for assuring adequate capacity to meet increased customer electricity demands.

Why is the EIRP important to you?Energy is a resource that customers can have

direct control over use and cost It impacts the overall bill

An EIRP impacts the environment An EIRP impacts system reliability

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Why Do We Need an EIRP?An EIRP is an ongoing process to ensure we have enough

electricity now and in the future to meet the demands of our customers.

When creating a 20-year plan, staff take many variables into consideration that include:

Environmental Considerations – impacts and regulations

Customer input/valuesFuel and other market pricesOverall bill and rate impactsRisks associated with certain options – such as the

costs inherent with aging and new infrastructure; the uncertainty with energy efficiency and conservation - and an individual’s choice to conserve or not; and market prices of fuel such as coal, gas, wind and solar.

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Our Mission As A Municipal Utility…..We have an obligation to serve – our

shareholders – are our customer-owners.It would be irresponsible, with the mission

we have, to not include public process for our strategic and capital plans.

Public process is designed to create informed consent – informed citizens create informed decision makers.

The public expects to be involved.Intent is to let all customers have a voice.

Public Involvement….Builds trustDevelops understandingBuilds credibilityCreates supportAllows project implementation which results in

time and money savingsEfforts are directed toward fiercest opponents

…IT IS NOT MARKETING…IT IS NOT DECIDE AND DEFEND

Public Involvement Tools…Colorado Springs Utilities uses a combination of approaches to arrive at a public involvement action plan for any project or plan.Issues Management – basic principle is fire

prevention versus fire fightingSystematic Development of Informed Consent

(SDIC) – public sector problem solving and decision making

Citizen Participation by Objectives (CPO) – citizen participation techniques applied to any project or plan

International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) – international association of public participation practitioners

Issue Management…“An issue exists when there is a gap between

stakeholder expectations and an organization’s policies, performance, products or public commitments.

Issue management is …the process used to close that gap, and;

It’s a formal management process to anticipate and take appropriate action on emerging trends, concerns, or issues likely to affect an organization and its stakeholders.”

Source: Issue Management Council

The Life Preserver…With Issue Management as a key factor in public involvement, we then add SDIC/CPO, created by Hans and Annemarie Bleiker, co-founders of the Institute for Participatory Management and Planning. At it’s core is the philosophy that whatever you say or write - whatever you do, make sure your publics understand these four points (The Life Preserver):There is a serious problem, or opportunity, one that just has to be addressed.You are the right entity to address it, and given your mission, it would be irresponsible for you not to address it.The way you are going about it, the approach you’re using is reasonable, sensible and responsible.You are listening, you do care, if what you’re proposing is going to hurt someone, it’s not because you don’t care – it’s not because you’re not listening.

Creating An Action Plan For The EIRP…

1) Issues Manager determines needs: Inform or educate? Formal public input

process? SDIC worksheet CPO process plan

2) Collaboration with other Public Affairs departments: Corporate

Communications Government Affairs Corporate Governance Community

Development

3) Comprehensive Action Plan Draft issue brief? Integrate action plan into

project charter Media/communications

plan4) Situational analysis

Situation description Analysis/explanation /interpretation Options Recommendations Negative unintended

consequences

Are we informing, or obtaining input?

Public Process: The Basics…Frame the problem.Identify constraints and

evaluate credibility.Identify decision steps

and project milestones.Identify potentially

affected interests (internal and external.)

Determine “must resolve” issues.

Determine needed level of public involvement.

Select processes and techniques.

Develop a work plan.Implement a work

plan.Monitor the work

plan.Manage change

(constraints, elected officials, the media.)

Or, As We Always Ask Ourselves When Starting A Project…

What will the headline

read, if we don’t show

due diligence, during the

public process?

It’s very difficult for planners to determine exactly what our community will look like 20-25 years from now. Using the best of forecasting and modeling tools available, however, we can plan for what we think we will need to do to accommodate our customer’s demand for energy that is cost-efficient, and environmentally-friendly.

With and eye toward balancing the two, Springs Utilities can create multiple, possible solutions, called scenarios, to further study what would be the best possible electric plan for

our future.

The EIRP Game PlanThe EIRP Game PlanEngage the DisengagedEngage the Disengaged

The EIRP Game PlanThe EIRP Game PlanEngage the DisengagedEngage the Disengaged

• Advisory Group (monthly meetings) With stakeholder issue and escalation processKepner-Tregoe (KT) analysis

• Utility Policy Advisory Committee (UPAC – monthly presentations)•Utilities Board presentations - two• Public Meetings – four in all•Statistically valid and general surveys as needed (Poll Everywhere/Survey Monkey)•The Road Show – community presentations.•Collateral materials and paid communications•Increase energy literacy as part of outreach

•Social media: Blog, Facebook, Twitter, web Site, on-line survey, etc.•Public comment prior to WAPA submittal

First Public Meeting:

Project Planning and Stakeholder

Engagement•Data collection and analysis begins•Phase One assumptions•Evaluation of technologies•Advisory Group meets

Second Public Meeting:

Evaluation and Reporting

•Develop and create scenarios based on environmental factors, risk, and cost•Risk analysis and testing•Develop metrics and assessment•The second public meeting reflects the mid-point process of the EIRP.

Third Public Meeting:

Portfolio Review and Selection

Criteria•Review recommended portfolios – ensure criteria is met•Plan update process

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Fourth Public Meeting:

Review Prefered Portfolio and

Selection Criteria

•Recommended portfolio meets selection criteria•Prepare for Utility Board review/approval•Public comment•Submit to WAPA

What’s Worked Well – Reinforcing The Idea That The EIRP Is A Process

A Public Outreach Challenge – Lesson Learned

Poll Everywhere

is a unique, technically-driven tool

to reach a wide

audience. What we

discovered was that few people were

acquainted with

Tweeting and smart

phones, so we needed other tools.

A public entity’s responsibility is to its owners – its stakeholders.

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• Public participation builds trust and credibility• Public participation strengthens relationships• Public participation can help solve complex or adversarial issues or problems• Public Participation builds on accountability through transparency

For more information, contact Gail Conners, Colorado Springs Utilities,

At 719-668-8012, or gconners@csu.orgwww.csu.org