Members of the Sierra Club, the Columbia Climate Change Coalition and other groups came out last night to ensure their voices were heard at a meeting to gather ideas on Columbia’s future power sources.

The Columbia Power Supply Task Force sponsored the meeting to solicit public comment on what consultant Burns & McDonnell should study as it forms an Integrated Resource Plan. About 50 people heard that the plan will outline where the city should get its power in the next 20 years as well as what programs the city should use to increase energy conservation.

Kiah Harris, representing Burns & McDonnell, opened the meeting with a presentation of how the study will balance the cost of supplying energy with the cost of conserving energy. Harris said the study will look at costs associated with traditional energy sources such as coal-fired power plants and natural gas, as well as the cost of renewable energy such as wind- and solar-generated power. The study also will take into account carbon-dioxide emissions and the possibility of standards limiting emissions.

That’s not enough, members of the public told the task force.

"I’m a little bit disappointed in terms of what’s being considered for energy-saving options at this time," said Ryan Kind, a Columbia resident and chief energy economist for the Missouri Office of the Public Counsel. Kind said at one time Columbia was a leader in the green-energy movement but now he sees other cities moving ahead, including Springfield, which recently released a 200-page report on the city’s energy-savings options.

Many speakers said they were concerned the study was not forward-thinking enough in terms of renewable resources, and they don’t want to see the city rely so heavily on coal-fired power, which they view as detrimental to health and the environment. Suggestions during the meeting ranged from changing zoning laws to allow residential wind farms and increasing incentives for residential solar power to developing alternative, local fuel sources and shifting electric rates to penalize big consumers.

Jim Windsor, a Columbia Water and Light employee who said he was speaking as a private citizen, stressed that solutions need to be realistic. "There seems to be conventional wisdom that we can use wind and solar, and that’s going to solve all our problems," he said. "The people who have spoken need to understand these sources are unreliable and can only supply in the 20 percent range of our energy, at best."

Several speakers said the energy problem would require a little creativity.

"I’m sure it’s hard and requires a different technology than what we’re used to, but we’re going to have to do it," said Amy Dove, a Columbia resident. "There are alternatives out there. We just need to find a way."

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