Since 1998, CPS Energy has published biennial environmental reports covering a range of topics from air quality to water management. However, as the issues surrounding our business and community have become increasingly diverse and complex, we believe that a full-fledged sustainability report is essential going forward.

Climate change, the rising cost of energy, the global recession, air and water quality, a healthy community — all of these issues are related, and we recognize that a whole-systems approach is necessary to address them. In addition, CPS Energy is working hand in hand with the City of San Antonio and its Mission Verde plan, which addresses a wide range of issues affecting the community.

This report covers all of the assets that we own and operate in the San Antonio community and beyond. Not only do we address environmental issues but also social and economic ones, and their relationship to one another. This first CPS Energy Corporate Sustainability Report covers data from primarily 2006 to 2009, where data was available. We plan to produce a Corporate Sustainability Report every two years.

Sustainability is defined as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Three traditional areas of focus in sustainability are environmental, social, and economic factors, and the interactions between them. We have addressed each of these areas within this Corporate Sustainability Report.

To address sustainability issues at CPS Energy, we’ve established two primary initiatives — the internal Sustainability Council and Vision 2020. Our Sustainability Council comprises 18 members from across the CPS Energy organization, representing each business unit. The purpose of this council is to provide a clearinghouse that will identify, prioritize, initiate, coordinate, and evaluate programs, policies, and procedures that promote and enhance environmental sustainability
within CPS Energy. In addition, we have created Vision 2020, which describes how our stakeholders view us and what it will be like to be a part of CPS Energy in 2020.