Clean Energy In the News

AUSTIN - When the 44th president of the United States enters office on Jan. 20, 2009, he or she will face an unprecedented energy and global warming crisis.

Our nation's increased dependence on dirty energy sources like coal and oil has endangered our environment, threatened our economy, and compromised our national security. On Jan. 2, the cost of a barrel of oil rose to $100 for the first time in history, demonstrating the grim reality that with energy prices rising and fossil fuel resources waning, America can no longer maintain the status quo.

While crisscrossing the Lone Star State to stump for votes, the presidential candidates are getting a firsthand look at how Texas is responding to this energy crisis. Since Texas' historic reputation as a fossil fuel giant precedes us, the candidates may be surprised to learn how Texans feel, and are acting on, our energy future.

Polls show that overwhelming majorities of Texans prefer increasing the use of renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation to meet the state's future electric energy needs. Two-thirds of Texans oppose new coal-fired power plants.

And Texans aren't just meekly telling their views to pollsters on the telephone; they're speaking out and demanding action. Last year, an unlikely coalition of Texas ranchers, Baptist ministers, mayors, and environmentalists came together and put a stop to eight proposed new polluting coal-fired power plants.

And Texas leaders are recognizing that nuclear power isn't as cracked up as its backers make it out to be. The city of Austin recently decided against investing in a nuclear power plant after the economics just didn't make sense. A study commissioned by the city of Austin found that the "projected cost of the new units and their permitting and construction schedules were overly optimistic."

Instead, Texans are taking advantage of our homegrown, clean and renewable energy resources to chart a new energy future, one that cleans up our air and positions the state as an economic leader in 21st century energy technologies.

Take the example of the boom in wind energy. The 1999 Texas Legislature passed a renewable electricity standard (RES), that set a minimum requirement for the generation of electricity from clean, renewable energy like wind or solar power. Since then, Texas has led the nation in wind energy with more than 3,000 megawatts (MW) installed. Texas boasts the world's largest and second largest wind farms, FPL Energy's 735 MW Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center and the 505 MW Sweetwater project owned by Babcock & Brown & Catamount Energy, both located near Abilene.

By making a long-term commitment to building the market for renewable energy technologies, Texas has helped attract new investments and manufacturing facilities. For example, in November 2006, TECO/Westinghouse announced a partnership in which the company will manufacture technology for wind turbines at its Round Rock facility, adding approximately 100 jobs. Chemical company MEMC near Houston is now a major world supplier of solar-grade polysilicon. Last year, a group of businesses pledged to invest more than $10 billion in renewable energy projects in Texas.

Texas is also leading the way in the construction of high performance, energy efficient buildings. According to the EPA, no state reduced global warming pollution more by building Energy Star buildings than Texas. State-of-the-art schools, courthouses, grocery stores, and homes have lowered their energy bills by $107 million annually and are preventing nearly 2 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. The city of Frisco also boasts one of the growing number of "zero energy buildings", which when averaged over the course of the year, use absolutely no energy.

We have the technology for clean energy and plenty of support for it. Now we just need a strong leader who will lead America to a cleaner, more secure energy future with actions, not just words.

The 44th president faces a choice. The next president can put America on a clean energy path that prioritizes energy efficiency, conservation, and clean renewable energy like wind and solar power. Or he or she can heed the voice of powerful interests like the coal, oil, and nuclear industries, whose prescription for America is more failed policies and technologies of the past.

Texans have a unique opportunity to influence the next president and show the candidates that Texas voters need and want a president who will take strong, decisive action on clean energy.

Luke Metzger is director of Environment Texas, a statewide environmental organization.