HH Houston Chronicle |H oustonChronicle.com | Sunday, February 28, 2021 | B7 enTouch strives to keep prices as low as possible. From time to time it is necessary to make adjustments to one-time charges due to costs associated with administration and management of our customer accounts and services.
Below please find al isting of non-recurring, one-time charges we will be implementing along with minor rate adjustments for fees already in effect.
These changes will go into effect on or about April 1, 2021.P lease note, unless otherwise notated, the listed costs and/orf ees are neitherg overnment mandated nor at ax imposed on you by the government; they are costs and/or fees enTouch assesses and retains.
Description Charge (per instance)
Account Activation Fee $9.99
Customer Equipment Hookup Fee $39.95
Auto-pay Denial Fee $30.00
Technician Visit $79.95
Late Fee $15.00
Non-pay Restoral Fee $40.00
Payment Convenience fee Up to $8.50
Seasonal Program $10/month/service
Home Networking (per2 nd, 3rd and
4th Computer or Device) Up to $14.95
For any questions, please reach out to our enTouch care team.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING
MUNICIPAL SETTING DESIGNATION
CITY OF HOUSTON
Virtual Meeting: Microsoft Teams Platform
Date –T ime: April 1, 2021 –6 :00 PM
For meeting link and additional project information go to:
https://www.publicworks.houstontx.gov/msd-calendar
Applicant: Mr. Roger Saa
Site Location: 6405 Antoine Drive, Houston, TX 77091
Legal Description: TR 5A-5, ABST 346 AGH OLLAND
Contaminants of Concern: tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, cis-1,2- dichloroethlyene, and vinyl chloride.
This designates an area in which the use of impaired groundwater is prohibit- ed for use as potable water (i.e. drinking,c ooking, bathing etc.). If you have questions or comments, please contact the City of Houston MSDP rogram at (832) 394-9003 or email at [email protected].
NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING
MUNICIPAL SETTING DESIGNATION
CITY OF HOUSTON
Virtual Meeting: Microsoft Teams Platform
Date –T ime: March 29,2 021 –6 :00 PM
For meeting link and additional project information go to:
https://www.publicworks.houstontx.gov/msd-calendar
Applicant: Exxon Mobil Corporation North Houston Fuels Terminal Site Location:8 700 North Freeway, Houston, TX 77037
Legal Description:T R1 A, (RES AP ER PLAT), EXXON NORTH TERMINAL, ABST 1295 ACA LLEN
Contaminants of Concern:B enzene, TPH.
This designates an area in which the use of impairedg roundwater is prohibit- ed for use as potable water( i.e. drinking, cooking, bathing etc.). If you have questions or comments, please contact the City of Houston MSD Program at (832) 394-9003 or email at [email protected].
Galena Park Independent School District (GPISD) is requesting Competitive Sealed Proposals (CSP 21-200) for Woodland Acres Middle School HVAC Replacement at 12947 Myrtle Lane, Houston, TX 77015 (Project #043-2020) .
Proposals are due on Tuesday, March 23,2 021 at 2:00 CST in the main lobby of the GPISD Administration Building, 14705 Woodforest Blvd., Houston, TX 77015, and at 3:00 pm CST proposals for listed Alternates are due at the same location at which time and place the Proposals will be opened publicly and read aloud. AP roposal Security in thea mount of ten percent (10%) of the proposal amount is required.
The scope of work consists of HVAC system replacement, to include new chillers, pumps, boilers, and air handlers. Demolition of existing chilled waters torage tank and foundation and regrading of affected site. Complete replacement of the Building Automation System and existing chilled/hot water control valves.
Updates to the fire alarm system to accommodate HVAC equipment replace- ment and syncing of all existing strobes.
Ap re-proposal conference will be held atGalena Park ISD Administration Building,o n Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 10:00 am CST .A ttendance is highly recommended.
Contract Documents will be availableo nF ebruary 22, 2021 at Stanton Engineer- ing Group, LLC, 1300 W. Sam Houston Pkwy S., Suite 121, Houston, TX 77042, (713) 300-9292, for a$ 200.00 refundable deposit. Proposers may also obtain additional documents, at theirc ost, from Triangle Reproductions, Inc., 8450 Westpark, #100, Houston, TX 77063.
NOTICE TO PROPOSERS:
Request for SubcontractorProposals for Modular Buildings at Pyburn Elementary School
Galena Park ISD Project #1 09.1-2017
Purcell Construction. Inc., as Construction Manager at Risko nb ehalf of Galena Park Independent School District will receive subcontractor/vendor proposals for the Modular Buildings at Pyburn ElementaryS chool designed by S. Chu Architects.
Proposals and qualification statements will be received by Purcell Construction, Inc., from interested proposers, sub-proposers and suppliers until 2:00 PM on Wednesday, March 10,2 021, in the presence of the Owner and Architect at the offices of Purcell Construction, Inc.a t2 77 Dennis Street, Humble, Texas 77388, Phone: 281.548.1000 and Fax: 281.548.2998, email: [email protected]; Construction Manager Contact: Carter Ullrich.
Drawings and Specifications will be available for review on February 17, 2021 at the offices of Purcell Construction, Inc.,a nd at the plan rooms of AGC, Dodge Data &A nalytics, Virtual Builders Exchange, Construction Dataa nd CMD Group.
Prevailing wage rates in conformance with Texas laww ill be paid on this project.
All proposals shall remain valid for sixty (60) days.
The Owner, Architect/Engineer and Construction Manager reserve the right to reject any and all proposals, to waive any informalities and irregularities in the proposal process, and to make the awards in the best interest of the school dis- trict. By submitting ap roposal,e ach proposer agrees to waivea ny claim it has or may have against the Owner,t he Architect/Engineer, Construction Manager and their respective employees arising out of or in connection with the adminis- tration, evaluation, or recommendation of any proposal; waiver of any require- ments under the ProposalD ocuments, or the Contract Documents; acceptance or rejection of any proposals; and award of aC ontract.
Av irtual Pre-proposal conference willb eh eld via Zoom.us on Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 10:00 AM. Contractors are strongly encouraged to attend the pre- proposal conference.
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) is planning to issue the procurement documents listedi nt his advertisement.
IFB No. 4021000099: Polycarbonate Panels for Bus Shelters. Solicitation will be available on or about 03/01/2020.
Prospective bidders/proposers can view and download these solicitations by visiting METRO’s website at https://webapps.ridemetro.org/procurement/ solicitations.aspx
If you are unable to download the documents or are having difficulty, please contact METRO Plan andB id Room at (713) 739-4881.
Sealed Proposal Solicitation #RA05-21
Houston-Galveston Area Council
Cooperative Purchasing Program
Radio Communications/Emergency Response
Equipment
Pre-Proposal Conference: 3/4/21 @9 am
Response Deadline: 4/15/21 @1 pm
Public Opening: 4/15/21 @2 pm
3555 Timmons Lane, Houston, TX.
Per ADA, reasonable accommodation
provided with 24 hour prior notice.
713-993-2417 or www.hgacbuy.org for info.
Notice To
Creditors
Ad
$74.00*
Call the Legals Team
713-224-6868
Ext. 6435 or 4204
*$74.00 includes first 36 lines
and 1A ffidavit of Publication
*$1.92 per line over 36 lines
BUSINESS
build there. Instead, they
decide to offset the power
theyg et from coal and
natural gas plants by
buying and selling elec-
tricity halfway across the
country,m ost likelyi n
Texas.
Texash as al ot of wind
ands unshine, which
makes it perfectf or these
investments. But another
reason we have so much
renewable energy is the
state’s wholesale electric-
itym arket, which makes
it easy to build newp roj-
ects and sell the power. A
Michigan cardboardb ox
factory cane asilyt radei n
electricity as as ide hustle.
Out-of-state companies
sign powerp urchase
agreements fore nough
wind or solar powert o
offset their carbon foot-
print back home. They
cant hen claim theya re
poweredb yg reen energy.
But since the Electric
Reliabilit yC ouncil of
Texasg ridd oesn ot allow
exports to other states,
the companym ust sell the
cleane nergy to the
wholesale marketa nd use
dirtye nergy from their
local grid.
Thisa rrangement cre-
atesa no pportunityt o
makeb ig profits when
wholesale pricess pikei n
Texas, liked uring the
freeze. Toom anyo ft hese
deals benefit the compa-
ny’s bottoml ine at the
expense of consumer
reliabilit y.
To keep thingss imple,
let’su se wind energy as
an example. Ford ecades,
wind projects could not
competef inanciallyw ith
coal and natural gas, so
the federal government
offered at emporary$ 23
taxc redit fore very mega-
watt-hour produced. That
leveled the playing field
and spurred the industry.
Generating taxc redits
is nowa sc rucialt ot he
project’sp rofitabilitya s
the electricity itself.O per-
ators routinelyo ffer elec-
tricity to the ERCOT mar-
ketf or free in ordert o
capturet he $23a mega-
watt-hour taxc redit,
which wasn ot ab ig deal
when wind generation
wasm inuscule.
But as wind took great-
er markets hare, fossil
fuel operators, which by
most estimatesn eed at
least $20am egawatt-hour
to makem oney, became
increasinglyf rustrated.
Theyc annot compete
with free, and theyw ill
certainlyn ot invest in
newp owerp lants or even
batterys torage if they
cannot makea reasonable
profit.
Federal lawmakers
createdt hisd istortion
because theyp refert o
hand outc redits rather
than impose newt axes.
Oil and gas companies
also receive subsidies
through other mecha-
nisms. Iw ould suggest
Congresse liminate all
subsidiesa nd taxg reen-
house gas emissions in-
stead, somethingI ’ve
written aboutb efore.
Powerp urchase agree-
ments, known as PPAs,
allowc ompanies to buy
clean energy and generate
taxc redits. The wild price
swings in the ERCOT
marketo ffer them a
chance to sell electricity
at ap rofit.B ut whether a
PPAb uyer is in-state or
out-of-state makes ad if-
ference.
Localc ompaniest hat
rely on ERCOT electricity
want an affordable and
efficient grid. Theya re
morel ikelyt op ushf or
weatherization regula-
tions. But out-of-state PPA
owners cravep rice spikes
to makem oneya nd do
not want to spend one
pennym oret han they
must.
Dozens of companies
made millions during the
Texasb lackouts because
their projects kept operat-
ing.T he proceeds from
ERCOT customers’ enor-
mous bills will go to some
of the world’sm ostf a-
mous brands, which told
customers theyw ere
going green to save the
planet when theyw ere
actuallym akingap rofit.
The solution is not to
getr id of PPAs but to
incentivize reliable gener-
ation. Texasn eeds com-
mon sense regulations
and to connectE RCOT to
the rest of thec ountry.
Thatw ould allowE RCOT
to not onlyi mportj uice
when we need it but to
sell it when we have too
much anda llowe veryone
to makeg reaterp rofits.
Many nights the wind
in West Texasb lows so
hardt hatt he wind tur-
binesp roduce moree lec-
tricity thant he state can
use. ERCOT’sc ontrol
room has to order opera-
tors to feather their
bladess ot he grid is not
overloaded, the opposite
of what happened last
month. Generators could
sell thate xtra power.
Texash as moree nergy
in moref orms than any
other state.I fo ur leaders
ares mart, theyw ill allow
transmission linest o
supply renewable energy
to the rest of the country,
knowing thatt hose same
transmission linesw ill
save us from another
disaster duringt hose few
days when we come up
short.
Tomlinson writes
commentar ya bout
business, economics and
politics.
twitter.com/cltomlinson
chris.tomlinson
@chron.com
TOMLINSON
Fromp ageB 1
Elizabeth Conley /S taff photographer
Out-of-state companies sign powerp urchase agreements fore nough wind or solar powert oo ffsett heir carbon footprintb ackh ome.T heyc an then claim they arep oweredb yg reen energy. morei mportant time to
gather industry leaders to
discuss thec hanging
energy landscape —e ven
if it’sv irtuallyb ecause of
the ongoing pandemic.
“CERAWeek has often
been called the Super
Bowl of energy,” said
JameyR osenfield, ac on-
ference co-founder.“ And
if yout hink about the
Super Bowl,i t’sa very
important event to be
therep hysically, but it’s
also amplified and seen
by millions of people
around the world. CERA-
Week is ac onference, but
it’sa lso ag lobal commu-
nity.”
The 39th annualC ERA-
Week,w hich begins Mon-
day, willf eaturem ore
than 140o nline sessions
covering topicso no il and
gas, alternative energy,
the energy transition,
geopoliticsa nd emerging
technologiess uch as car-
bon capture, electric
vehiclesa nd batterys tor-
age. Therew ill be more
than 400 speakers, in-
cluding Microsoft founder
and philanthropist Bill
Gates, Saudi Aramco CEO
Amin Nasser,C hevron
CEO MikeW irth,C ono-
coPhillips CEO Ryan
Lance, Occidental Petro-
leum CEO Vicki Hollub,
and Houston MayorS yl-
vester Turner.
Afterl astw eek’sw inter
storm that knocked out
powerp lants and caused
widespread blackouts in
Texas, CERAWeek orga-
nizers quicklya dded a
session on the impacto f
the powerf ailureo ne lec-
tricg rids and making
energys ources more
resilient to extreme
weather conditions.
“One of the hallmarks
of CERAWeek is bringing
together thisc ritical mass
of expertise and perspec-
tive,” said Dan Yergin, IHS
Markit chairman and
co-founder of CERAWeek.
“So,w ei nvented from
scratcha whole news es-
sion just focused on the
implication of the crisis in
Texas.”
The conference also
will features everal mem-
bers of the Biden adminis-
tration, including the U.S.
climate czar, former Sec-
retary of State John Kerry,
and WhiteH ouse Climate
Advisor Gina McCarthy,
the former EPAa dminis-
trator, whoh as spoken at
the conference in past
years.
Organizers said Biden
administration officials
wanted to introduce
themselvest ot he energy
industry at the conference
and field questions from
attendeesa bout their
planst oc ombatc limate
change, in particular
regulations around car-
bon emissions and the
environment.
“A focus of the Biden
administration is to create
ad ialogue between poli-
cymakers and the energy
industry,” Rosenfield said.
“Theyr ecognize thatt his
is the forum to have that
kind of discussion, where
you’re going to getal ot of
diverse viewpoints.”
Organizers acknowl-
edged CERAWeek has
become mored iverse in
its lineup of speakers and
attendeeso vert he years,
particularly as concern
overc limate changeh as
drivend ebate over the
futureo ff ossil fuels. The
conference, which started
outf ocused solelyo no il
and gas, has branched
overt he years to solar,
wind, hydrogen and geo-
thermal energy, as well as
biofuels.
Innovation and tech-
nology also will playa
role in the conference as
oil majors invest billions
of dollars inton ew lab-
oratories ands tart-up
accelerators researching
and developing carbon
capturet echnology and
alternative energys ourc-
es.N oubar Afeyan, chair-
man of the biotech com-
panyM oderna anda bio-
fuels investor,i ss latedt o
speaka bout lessons the
oil and gas industry can
learn from the pharma-
ceutical company’sr apid
development of the coro-
navirus vaccine.
Although the confer-
ence is virtual thisy ear,
organizers said theyb e-
lieve CERAWeek will have
al arger scale and impact
because attendeesw on’t
have to hop on ap lane to
learn from the world’st op
energy leaders. Organiz-
ers said theya re expect-
ing higher attendancet his
year,e speciallyf rom
Southeast Asia and Africa.
Still, CERAWeek orga-
nizers said theyp lan to
bring the conference back
to Houston next year.T he
conference, which typ-
icallyd raws some 6,000
attendeesf rom8 5c oun-
tries to Houston, has been
ab oon to the local econo-
my,p articularly down-
town hotels and restau-
rants thath aves truggled
thisp ast year to survive
the pandemic.
“We’reb uilding back
better and biggeri nt erms
of impacta nd reach,b ut
we do intend to be back
in Houston in 2022,”R o-
senfields aid. “We’rev ery
committed to being in
Houston. Our partnership
with Houston goes back
decades and will continue
ford ecades.”
paul.takahashi
@chron.com
twitter.com/paultakahashi
CERAWEEK
Fromp ageB 1
Michael Wyke /C ontributor
CERAWeek by IHS Markit is goingv irtual this year
afterc ancelingt he 2020 eventd ue to thep andemic.