LED streetlights now installed from North 65th street
in Seattle all the way through Shoreline

SEATTLE – In late September of this year, Seattle City Light began installing LED streetlights on residential streets from North 65th Street in Seattle all the way to the northern boundary of City Light’s service territory in Shoreline. The latest round of installations brings the total of installed LED streetlights to 18,000. This is ahead of the original schedule of 15,000 installations by the end of this year and nearly $5 million under budget. The savings are a result of the decreasing cost of the fixtures which are purchased each year instead of all at once.

“As our city continues to look for ways to save money, our new LED streetlights are already saving more than $300,000 each year and with the latest round of installations the annual savings is expected to grow to nearly $900,000,” said Councilmember Bruce Harrell, Chair of the Council’s Energy, Technology and Civil Rights Committee. “These and future savings can be used to help fund libraries, social services and parks, they will pay for themselves in less than 10 years.”

In February of 2012, Seattle City Light is scheduled to begin installation of LED streetlights at the southern end of its service territory all the way up to Brandon Street in South Seattle. By the end of 2014, all of the City’s residential streetlights will be converted to LED. Once all 41,000 residential lights are installed, City Light expects a $2.4 million reduction in operating costs each year.

Customers seem to like the LED streetlights. City Light surveys have found that 85 percent of residents are satisfied with the new lighting and City Light has received complaints on less than 2 percent of the installations to date. The most recognizable change of the LED streetlights is the color of the light. The old high-pressure sodium streetlights had an amber hue, while the new LED streetlights have a hue that is more natural and comparable to moonlight.

The facts illustrate my commitment to:

Affordable, Green Energy:

• Drove rates 40% lower than national average of 11.04 cents per kilowatt-hour; 53% below San Francisco’s; 71% below New York’s.
• Saved $67 million by improving financial policies.
• Safe Neighborhood streetlights enhance public safety and provide vibrancy. I championed the conversion of 41,000 streetlights to LEDs and required repairs to be done within 15-days. Saving taxpayers $2.4 million per year.
• City Light is Carbon Neutral. I promised clean energy at low rates. Our Environment matters.

Transportation: I am a 4-year regional leader on the Puget Sound Regional Council’s Transportation Policy Board and fought for Seattle to receive over $32.5 million in federal funds for roads and transit. I’ll get us beyond the viaduct era by opening the waterfront and creating jobs.

Social Justice: I created unprecedented race and social justice legislation that requires our City to recognize both the diversity of our city—and diversity of opinion—before taking action. Every community deserves respect.

Strong Public Safety: You must feel safe. I’ve supported adding more police officers and used my expertise as an attorney and youth mentor to enhance community relations. My proposal to equip police with body cameras rebuilds confidence in officers and protects them and the community.

Seattle Times article referred to Bruce Harrell as “The New Definition of Leadership.”

“We Endorse Councilmember Harrell For Another Term!”

• King County Democrats
• Washington Conservation Voters
• Seattle Gay News
• Municipal League’s highest rating for this position “Very Good”
• MLK Labor Council and 20 unions
• 11th, 34th, 36th, 37th, 46th District Democrats
• Seattle Firefighters
• Seattle Police Officers Guild
• “Exceptionally Well Qualified” by the K.C. Officers Guild

Note: As of 8/24/11 my opponent has not listed any endorsements by any legislative district, labor organization or elected official.

I ask for your vote.

Council passes initiative to provide high-speed Internet access and technology skills training to low-income students

The Great Student Initiative will help educate and prepare Seattle students

SEATTLE – The City Council voted unanimously on Monday to approve the Great Student Initiative (Resolution 31328). Legislated by Councilmember Bruce Harrell, the Great Student Initiative will serve as a model for the nation in bringing together and maximizing public-private partnerships to help students and families acquire broadband Internet access and technology skills training.

The program can help approximately 16,000 of the 47,000 students in Seattle Public Schools on the free lunch program. Only 46 percent of households in Seattle with incomes averaging under $30,000 receive high-speed Internet access. The public-private partnership will map out resources for a sustainable program to achieve Council’s policy directives in making sure students from all socio-economic backgrounds have access to high-speed Internet and vital job skills training.

“I am excited to launch Seattle’s Great Student Initiative and lead a national effort to educate our students on important digital literacy skills,” said Seattle City Councilmember Bruce Harrell. “The information and communication technology job sector contributes over $3.5 billion to Seattle’s economy and information technology job growth is projected at 22 percent in this decade, one of the fastest and more sustainable job industries. We must equip children from all backgrounds with tools to access online educational resources to compete in this global economy driven by technology, science, engineering, and mathematics. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), 77 percent of jobs in the next decade will require technology skills.”

Data from the Federal Reserve show students without home Internet access have a high school graduation rate six to eight percentage points lower than students who have access in their homes. This is a major opportunity to ensure that more students graduate.

“Seattle Public Schools is pleased to partner with the city to begin to eliminate the digital divide,” said Susan Enfield, Interim Superintendent. “We thank these companies for stepping up and helping low income families throughout Seattle.”

Through the Comcast Internet Essentials program, students on the national free lunch program will have access to $9.95 a month Internet service and a $150 netbook computer.

“Educational enrichment cannot be confined to the walls of the classroom. Connecting students to online resources at home will remove obstacles to opportunity, allowing students to compete on an even playing field and live up to their full potential,” said Kelley Dunne, President and CEO, One Economy Corporation. “The Great Student Initiative is a collaborative digital inclusion program that fully engages city leaders, corporations, teachers, parents and the community in improving education for Seattle students.”

“Getting technology and Internet access into the hands of our students is essential in building a pathway toward graduation. This will not only lead to a healthy workforce, but help in creating jobs,” said Council President Richard Conlin.

“While the world has gone digital, many low-income families have not, making passage of the Great Student Initiative especially important. Through our Internet Essentials program and continued financial commitments to digital literacy programs we look forward to doing our part to help close the digital divide,” said Len Rozek, Senior Vice President, Comcast.

“All students should have access to the building blocks of a quality education so that they can go from learning to earning,” said Sig Behrens, General Manager of U.S. Education for Microsoft. “The link between education attainment and economic growth has never been clearer. Seattle is on the leading edge of Microsoft’s Shape the Future vision, which prioritizes ensuring that low-income students have access to the same digital tools that can help to put them on par with their more connected peers. This should be made an educational priority for all, not a privilege for some.”

Seattle City Council President Conlin congratulates Councilmember Bruce Harrell on national honor

Seattle – Council President Conlin released the following statement regarding Councilmember Harrell’s national honor, presented today by the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA):

“I want to extend congratulations to my colleague, Councilmember Bruce Harrell, as the 2011 NATOA Community Broadband Visionary of the Year Award recipient.

“This is a terrific recognition of Bruce’s work on the Great Student Initiative and championing a partnership between the City and the private sector to provide low-cost, high-speed internet access, hardware and software for low-income students in the Seattle Public School district.

“It is critical that the City engage in programs like this that will help our students succeed and be prepared in a global economy.”

The Great Student Initiative can help approximately 16,000 students who would qualify for the $9.95 monthly service, $149.99 computer and computer training.

For more information on the NATOA, visit www.natoa.org.

Data.Seattle.Gov wins award for leading open data effort

SEATTLE – Mayor Mike McGinn announced today that Seattle.Gov has been named the country’s best city web portal for an unprecedented third time. The award for Best of the Web in the city category comes from the Center for Digital Government.

Data.Seattle.Gov was also named a Digital Government Achievement winner in the Government-to-citizen category. Data.Seattle.Gov increases access to datasets generated by various departments of Seattle city government, including building permits, crime statistics, and Neighborhood Matching Fund grants.

“A core value of my administration is open and effective government,” said Mayor Mike McGinn. “And we are supporting that value in many ways, including town halls, public performance measurements for city departments, providing online data, and providing user friendly services to all our users on our city website. I congratulate our Department of Information Technology on receiving this award for best city web portal in America.”

City Councilmember Bruce Harrell, who chairs the Energy, Technology and Civil Rights Committee, said, “In 2009, our Committee announced initiatives designed to empower the public and enhance transparency. We identified the need to migrate our city system to one that releases city data in an open format that is more readable and favorable to programming. We are very pleased to see the results and we will continue this commitment in 2012.”

In making the award, evaluators called out Seattle’s use of blogging and social media.

“CityLink blogs not only enable transparency, but this content is also pushed to RSS feeds and widgets so content is fresh,” one judge said. “Many sites have blogs, but they don’t allow public comments,” added a judge. “This defeats the purpose of a blog. Seattle does it right.”

“The goal of every government website is to provide online services and information to constituents,” said Cathilea Robinett, executive director of the Center for Digital Government. “However, this year’s winners have taken the power of the Web to the next level – combining clear communication, design aesthetic and easy navigation.”

In its 16th year, Best of the Web (BOW) recognizes outstanding government portals and websites based on innovation, functionality and efficiency. The Digital Government Achievement Awards (DGAA) highlight outstanding agency and department websites and applications. The Center for Digital Government is a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. The Center is a division of e.Republic, a national publishing, event and research company focused on smart media for public sector innovation.

More inclusive Community Solar program and Green Up carries on

SEATTLE – Today, the Seattle City Council approved legislation that helps expand Seattle’s reputation as a socially inclusive green city. Council Bill 117243 supports efforts to encourage all Seattle City Light customers to participate in the utility’s Community Solar program. This program aligns with the City’s Race and Social Justice goals and encourages City Light to provide the widest possible access to its solar programs. Community Solar gives customers the opportunity to receive credits on energy produced from a solar voltaic array owned and operated by City Light.

“As an advocate for social justice and inclusion, I am pleased to pass this legislation,” said Councilmember Bruce Harrell, chair of the Energy, Technology and Civil Rights Committee. “It opens the Community Solar program up to people who may not have participated otherwise and spreads awareness of solar photovoltaic technology.”

In other Council action related to green energy programs, Council Bill 117242, retires City Light’s Green Power program because it has achieved its program goals. However, the City will continue on with the Utility’s Green Up program.

Since 2002, Green Power funded 30 solar projects, 13 of those were located at schools. The goal of Green Power was to support the development of smaller scale, local renewable energy projects that increase awareness, improve operations, and create demand through demonstration and education.

City Light will continue to offer the Green Up program, established in 2005. Green Up supports development of larger scale renewable energy projects like wind, geothermal and biomass. Customers voluntarily participate in the program by paying an increased rate for green resources.

“Some of the projects that have been supported by Green Up funds in the past six years include geothermal, dairy biogas, and small canal hydro projects,” said City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco. “Green Up is an excellent way for customers to directly support new, renewable energy alternatives.

“Since 2002, customers have contributed $1.8 million into the Green Power program and since 2005, $7.5 million into the Green Up program. These programs and participation levels show our city’s commitment to sustainable practices,” added Councilmember Harrell.

]]> http://www.electbruceharrell.com/2011/08/09/council-approves-positive-changes-to-city-light-green-programs/feed/ 0 http://www.electbruceharrell.com/2011/07/21/seattle-city-light%e2%80%99s-rate-stabilization-account-is-meeting-council-goals/ http://www.electbruceharrell.com/2011/07/21/seattle-city-light%e2%80%99s-rate-stabilization-account-is-meeting-council-goals/#comments Thu, 21 Jul 2011 06:58:00 +0000 Bruce Harrell http://www.electbruceharrell.com/?p=1491 [Read More]]]> Press Release issued 7/20/11

No surcharges forecasted for the remainder of 2011

Seattle –Today, City Light officials informed the Energy, Technology and Civil Rights Committee that the Rate Stabilization Account (RSA) is working as intended and there are no anticipated surcharges for the remainder of 2011.

Last year, Councilmember Bruce Harrell developed and passed legislation that implemented the Rate Stabilization Account (RSA) for Seattle City Light to better address revenue fluctuations in surplus power sales.

“We developed the RSA to protect City Light customers from service cuts due to funding shortfalls at the Utility, as well as rate spikes caused by fluctuations in wholesale revenue,” said Councilmember Harrell. “Through this account we are achieving those goals and providing the stability that our customers demand.”

Over the past five years, surplus power sales have ranged from 8 percent to 19 percent of revenues. Revenue fluctuations are caused by either low energy prices or a small snowpack. The RSA was developed to protect ratepayers from this volatility. The account was fully funded to $100 million by January 1, 2011.

The current 2011 outlook for wholesale revenue is $112.9 million, versus $96.8 million assumed in the 2011 budget. The wholesale revenue outlook is updated weekly by the Utility and fluctuates based on the Utility’s forecast of prices and energy production and usage volumes for the year. With the RSA balance exceeding the targeted $100 million, the surplus will help reduce the likelihood of any rate surcharge appearing during 2012.

Discussion will help spread awareness and educate

SEATTLE – Seattle City Councilmember Bruce Harrell, Chair of the Energy, Technology and Civil Rights Committee, invites members of the public to participate in a lunchtime discussion on credit and foreclosure scams, computer scams and viruses, and how to protect your computer and family.

Joining Councilmember Harrell will be representatives from HomeStreet Bank and Seattle’s Department of Information Technology to guide the discussion and field questions from the audience.

WHAT: Fraud brownbag discussion

WHEN: Wednesday, June 29, 12:30 p.m.

WHERE: Council Chambers, Seattle City Hall
600 Fourth Avenue, second floor, Seattle 98104