OPPD Board of Directors

To Member Mary Spurgeon of the Omaha Public Power District Board, we realize this comment is late due to a surgery in the family, but it still should have clout. We urge you to support SD 7 and advocate for change and the understanding of worsening climatic trends currently being experienced by the entire earth and right here at home. OPPD must come to the realization that this is not a joke or fake news or rumor it is real and so many don't understand the consequences of not doing anything as soon as we can. Let us start now. There is a wonderful future in careers/jobs of those forward thinking people that want to save this earth.

I am in favor of recognizing the serious nature of climate change and therefore support the proposed SD-7 Environmental Stewardship revisions. Thank you for your forward thinking to give us all a better future. Thank you also for considering the wishes of your customers on this matter.

To Member Mary Spurgeon of the Omaha Public Power District Board, the purpose of this letter is to urge you to support SD 7 and advocate about the worsening climatic trends currently being experienced. OPPD must recognize the ‘scientific consensus’ of the role humans have played on climate change.

As a recent Creighton graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and one of your constituents, I care about advocating for the environment. Your lifelong concern for environmental stewardship is something I share with you. As a member of a younger generation, I worry about my future and the future of my younger siblings. Change needs to occur within our city and you are the key to doing it.

According to NASA, 97 percent of climate scientists agree that climate change is due to human’s use of fossil fuels. According to NASA, human activities have caused an increase of 1.02 °C in the global temperature since the Industrial Revolution, from 1880 to today. These changes will create more frequent severe climatic events, like what our community experienced within the flood of 2019.

I urge you to continue to advocate for public policy issues like you did while you were a member of the leadership team of Omaha Together One Community to uphold justice within our community. I hope you recognize the importance a vote ‘yes’ to SD 7 has not only for Omaha but also the state of Nebraska.

I would like the OPPD to recognize that scientists across the world have come to a consensus that humans have played a major part in climate change through SD 7.

This vote is very important to me as I, both, reside and work in Omaha. The recognition to climate change has the potential to catalyze the use of renewable energy throughout the community. Not only does this vote matter to me as someone who cares for the environment, but also a family-oriented person. My parents dream was to give me a better childhood than they had, and I have that same dream for my future kids.

According to NASA, 97+% of scientists agree global warming in the past century is due to human activities. Not only do scientists agree upon this, but if the earth warms another couple degrees the carrying capacity will be reduced to less than a billion people, as Richard Miller describes. Mr. Williams, you have been very involved in caring for the environment. The effects of climate change have been detrimental to the environment and will only worsen. It is not enough for the public to move away from nonrenewable energies on their own.

SD 7 is just the first step OPPD must take to combat climate change. Community leaders, such as OPPD, must show initiative.

I would like the OPPD to recognize that scientists across the world have come to a consensus that humans have played a major part in climate change through SD 7.

This vote is very important to me as I, both, reside and work in Omaha. The recognition to climate change has the potential to catalyze the use of renewable energy throughout the community. Not only does this vote matter to me as someone who cares for the environment, but also a family-oriented person. My parents dream was to give me a better childhood than they had, and I have that same dream for my future kids.

According to NASA, 97+% of scientists agree global warming in the past century is due to human activities. Not only do scientists agree upon this, but if the earth warms another couple degrees the carrying capacity will be reduced to less than a billion people, as Richard Miller describes. Some of you have been involved in caring for the environment. The effects of climate change have been detrimental to the environment and will only worsen. It is not enough for the public to move away from nonrenewable energies on their own.

SD 7 is just the first step OPPD must take to combat climate change. Community leaders, such as OPPD, must show initiative.

This acknowledgement, SD-7: Environmental Stewardship, matters to me because It accepts personal responsibility for humans’ massive contribution to climate change. Unlike our Nebraska Legislature that rejected to implement a state climate plan and refuses to acknowledge climate change as a real and presently occurring phenomenon, this bill at the very least allows for the discussion of climate change to grow and actions to continue to be taken. As a Black North Omaha native, I believe that environmental racism has been a constant issue in Omaha and has had its detrimental effects on the community. From new highways, superfund sites, and powerplants being placed in various spots in minority communities, it has been a cause for not only major displacement of the citizens within the community, but also given rise to different health concerns such as asthma and other respiratory issues.

Today I am writing to ask you to urge you and your fellow board members to make space on the board for a real voice and representative of my community. In a city that is 77% white and 12.1% Black , it is impossible to imagine that a voting delegate who is reflective of the Black community, more specifically the North Omaha community, would have a fair shot at being elected to the board. Currently, the entire OPPD board is full of white people who honestly do not and cannot fully understand the life of a Black North Omaha Native or the varying degrees of racism we constantly have to deal with day in and day out. As a retired teacher, I am sure you value knowledge and the great impact it can have on the common good. Simply put, there is no one currently on the board with the in depth knowledge or experience to understand the needs of the marginalized or how to make it so they are not stagnant in their positions.

The solution is more than reasonable: to make room at the table for individuals who are more representative of a community that has long gone without a voice, and not just of the majority white population. A lot can be accomplished in acknowledging the humans’ contribution to climate change and in further implementing SD-7 towards environmental stewardship. Even more can be accomplished in understanding how race and climate change intersect, and in recognizing what we need to do to ensure the dignity of the most vulnerable communities in our society.

With OPPD’s acknowledgement of electric power contributing to 40% of greenhouse gas
emissions, as the best interest of the city of Omaha, the push to vote in favor of SD
7 is more pertinent now than ever to help lower the impact of carbon emissions on climate change.
As a young person and OPPD customer, voting in favor of SD 7 ensures that the state of
Nebraska lowers its carbon footprint, and the preservation and healing of the Earth can continue. It is
imperative that work to reduce the carbon footprint in the capacity of cleaner energy is made. Without a
cleaner, carbon efficient source of power, climate change will continue to affect Earth and carbon
emissions will continue to rise.
As a mother and someone who shares a love for the outdoors, losing the outdoors as they are
today to the catastrophic damage of climate change would be tragic as future generations would lose out
on the opportunity to experience Earth’s beauty and resources as we know today. Additionally, people
of faith must stick together to safeguard the resources that have been entrusted to humanity by God.
The support of SD 7, which strives for zero carbon by 2050, needs immediate action which can
be achieved through support. Without support, the future of the planet for generations
to come may be a vastly different reality than what we are blessed to experience today.

As a customer and With OPPD’s initiative to acknowledge of electric power contributing to of
greenhouse gas emissions, it is in the best interest of the city of Omaha to vote against SD 7 to ensure
that Omaha remains utilizing the same energy system, unless a clearly thoughtful and thorough plan is
proposed to transition to cleaner energy.
Although it may seem necessary to switch to “cleaner” energy, there has no been thorough
discussion about how to switch to truly clean renewable sources as they consume more fossil fuels in the
construction and maintenance than electric power itself. Additionally there is no financial plan to
transition towards renewable energy that would not have a long lasting effects and responsibility that is
burdensome on the community. In a community that already has members struggling, it seems unethical
to hand out yet another bill for an idea that has not been tediously thought through in all directions. It
would be irresponsible to vote in favor of condemning the consumption of elective energy before these
questions are answered. As an OPPD customer, it is pertinent that SD 7 is voted against.
Finally, you will be receiving a lot of input that is in favor of SD 7 as an extra credit incentive
offered in a class at Creighton University which required that students submit a letter in favor of SD 7
but I dared to think for myself- vote no to SD 7.

I am vehemently opposed to this change in our energy structure. First these wind turbines are a net energy loss. Specifically the energy used to manufacture them, mostly in China, then the transport to the U.S. then to their final destination, then the energy expended erecting them. They still require oil made from fossil fuels, the blades are composed of fiberglass using petroleum products. Their lifespan doesn’t allow them to recoup the energy expended. Solar much like wind turbines are manufactured using what John Kerry opined as “not ideal” questionable labor. For example China has no problem using child and/or slave labor. Not to mention the working conditions at the mines where they extract the rare earth minerals that are necessary for solar to work. It is my opinion that pushing “carbon zero” and “green energy” is nothing but virtue signaling. Those that participate in this farce are complicit in child and forced labor and that is reprehensible to me. These forms of energy are not right for Nebraska. We can find a better option in multiple small nuclear plants set up in a redundant network throughout the state. Plants the size of what is used on the U.S. Navy ships. They have a great safety record and if it works for our Navy why can’t it work for Nebraska.

Several comments have characterized the reference to climate change in SD-7 as political.
Board members, elected by the voters, are accountable to the voters just like Deb Fischer and Don Bacon who have both recently co-sponsored the Growing Climate Solutions Act in Congress. This act explicitly recognizes climate change as a motive for legislation. Like our Washington delegation, OPPD's board has a duty to reflect the will of the majority of both Republican and Democratic voters who want action on climate change. Please include the climate language in SD-7 and use it as a basis for action going forward.

Your support to vote in favor of SD 7 is one step to help ensure that our planet is protected and habitable for future generations.

According to NASA scientists have determined with more than 95% certainty, that climate change is attributed to the expansion of greenhouse effects caused by humans. More specifically NASA has found that CO2 concentration has increased 47% since the industrial revolution which is correlated with deforestation, land use, and the burning of fossil fuels.

According to the National Climate Assessment, the Midwest has observed an increase in precipitation by about 16%, which causes heavy downpours that can lead to floods. We must learn to develop new practices in our daily lives in order to mitigate climate change and decrease the destruction due to increased flooding in the Midwest. Our role as humans is to think of others, and to save the planet in order for future generations to flourish.

I hope that you will consider voting in favor of SD 7 to protect our environment for generations to come.

I urge the OPPD board to continue to move toward clean energy sources that pollute less, like natural gas, methane, clean coal, and high intensity waste-burning incinerators. We urge OPPD to suspend its proposed renewable energy mandates, until it concludes a cost-benefit analysis. Meanwhile, natural gas, clean coal, and nuclear, all less expensive, should guarantee OPPD energy supplies. I oppose OPPD from disengaging entirely from fossil fuels, which are a dependable source of energy, and because relying on wind and solar farms are unreliable sources and cannot generate power 24/7. Because solar and wind farms require large amounts of space, built far from urban centers, the cost to move electricity from a power plant to consumers is higher than from fossil-fuel plants. A 2014 study by the Brookings Institute discovered that replacing conventional power with solar power triples electricity rates. There appears a disconnect between the optimistic estimates by utility policymakers of the impact that renewable mandates will have on rates and the harsh reality of higher rates that result from such action. Accommodating radical environmentalists always results in higher utility rates for residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Therefore, I urge the OPPD board to vote NO on a suggested policy that moves the utility towards renewable energy sources.

“I support the addition of climate language in SD-7. More and more people are aware of the threat posed by climate change because the scientific evidence is substantial. I applaud OPPD for taking this step.

The impact of our energy use on the planet is obvious. Moving in this direction is obvious.

I have some insights on statement SD 7 proposed by the Omaha Public Power District. SD 7 proposes the OPPD recognizes the scientific consensus that climate change is occurring and human’s role in it.
The vote on SD 7 matters to me because as a part of the younger generation, I am concerned about the effect’s climate change will have on my children and I’s future.
One board member, in particular, stated they would vote against SD 7 as he did not see how it would have any change on how business is done and that it is only politically motivated is Michael Cavanaugh. While his concerns are reasonable, they are not plausible because it is stated clearly in SD 7 that, “OPPD shall: Conduct its business in a manner that meets all environmental regulatory standards, and go beyond compliance where practical”. This part of the statement shows that businesses will indeed change to become more environmentally friendly. Mr. Cavanaugh should vote yes for SD 7 because of his past employment as a police lieutenant. This experience has instilled values of protecting and serving others. With these values, he should be for SD 7 as this statement would help protect the people of Omaha.
Overall, the outcome of SD 7 will affect all of the people the OPPD serves because of this it is essential that it passes as it would protect and help push toward a safe and carbon-free future.

I support the addition of climate language in SD-7. More and more people are aware of the threat posed by climate change because the scientific evidence is substantial. I applaud OPPD for taking this step; it shows a commitment to a cleaner, positive future for Nebraska and all that call it home.

“I support the addition of climate language in SD-7. More and more people are aware of the threat posed by climate change because the scientific evidence is substantial. I applaud OPPD for taking this step; it shows a commitment to a cleaner, positive future for Nebraska and all that call it home.”

Please adopt Strategic Directive 7 – Environmental Stewardship Revision. It is important to me as a homeowner in Omaha and customer of OPPD that the scientific consensus of climate change existing and our role in causing it be acknowledged. Waiting until it’s too late to adopt a carbon neutral grid will have detrimental consequences financially and environmentally for Omaha residents. We will eventually have to convert to carbon neutral forms of electricity so I urge OPPD to take this small step towards innovation and a better future.
-Derek S

While I am pleased to see a consistent language adopted...this by no means provides any information on how OPPD will work toward increase environmental protections for our Omaha community. These are just words and I have found that businesses can write anything they want without having accountability. This is NOT climate change...these are words...I want to see an action plan with details.

I support the addition of climate language in SD-7. More and more people are aware of the threat posed by climate change because the scientific evidence is substantial. I applaud OPPD for taking this step; it shows a commitment to a cleaner, positive future for Nebraska and all that call it home.

I am so thankful that OPPD has added climate language in SD-7. To acknowledge the impact all humans and entities have on the climate is very admirable and gives me hope for the future. Thank you.

Diane Johnson