Recommendations for Dallas’ climate plan

The city of Dallas is developing a Comprehensive Environmental and Climate Action Plan. We reviewed the draft plan and made the following recommendations:
 
1) The draft CECAP notes that the City currently relies on Renewable Energy Credits (RECS) to claim it’s at 100% renewables. But RECs are of low value and do little to nothing to incentivize the growth of wind and solar power. The City should immediately sign a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to generate 100% of municipal power needs with renewable energy. Signing a PPA would make sure the city is actually helping spur renewable development. 
2) The draft CECAP calls for continuing the “partnership with Oncor and other Public Utility Companies on an intensive education program on renewable energy options.” But Oncor cut its residential solar rebate budget by 42% this year. That’s the wrong direction. The City should push Oncor to maintain, and expand, incentives for solar power. We need to be doing everything we can to help homeowners install onsite solar.   
3) We support the CECAP proposal to require new homes and businesses to be pre-wired for solar energy and electric vehicles. Houston, Austin and other cities already have solar ready requirements and Dallas should be next. 
4) We support the CECAP goal to “work with City of Dallas, DISD, and DART to transition the bus fleet to 100% electric.” But 2040 isn’t fast enough. The city of Austin launched its first electric buses last week and will transition its fleet over within the decade. We should move that goal to 2030 and immediately halt the purchase of any more diesel buses. All new buses added to the fleet should be electric.