Reliant Energy Working to Derail Renewable Energy Market in Texas

AUSTIN- A coalition of environmental, religious, and low-income advocates today called on Reliant Energy to drop its active opposition to renewable energy. The groups pointed to comments filed with the Public Utility Commission as evidence Reliant is actively working to stall renewable energy development in Texas.

“With Houston’s air quality as bad as it is, it is unconscionable that Reliant would work to cripple the growing renewable energy market,” said Luke Metzger, Advocate with Environment Texas.

Last year, Governor Perry signed SB 20 into law, requiring electric utilities to purchase roughly 5% of their electricity from clean, renewable sources by the year 2015. However, based on written comments filed this year, Reliant wants the Legislature’s minimum goals to be treated as maximum levels –thereby taking away the ability of anyone to buy green power and voluntarily support extra efforts to use more renewable energy and gain additional air quality improvements, as many military bases, churches and businesses currently do. Reliant is also seeking to have the entire state renewables program terminated by 2015.

Their singular position is in sharp contrast to that of the people of Houston, who have expressed the strongest level of support for renewable energy of all the customer deliberative polls ever taken in Texas.

In a draft rule, Texas’ voluntary market for renewables would effectively end, as voluntary actions such as the wind turbine purchase announced recently by the City of Houston would simply allow companies like Reliant to avoid their obligations. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has advised that if the new legislation is implemented as advocated by Reliant, those seeking to help the environment “would need to buy green power from another state.”

“Our voluntary renewables market in Texas is booming and it’s what made renewables the success they are today in our state. It is atrocious that one company will try to take that success away from Texas and our citizens,” said Beth O’Brien, Clean Energy Organizer with Public Citizen. “It is simply unbelievable that Reliant would suggest the Texas Legislature wants Texans to use renewable energy from outside the state, rather than right here where it can clear our air, provide jobs, and pay local taxes.”

“Congregations throughout Texas have been making voluntary purchases of renewable energy because they want to protect children’s health and care for God’s creation,” said Bee Moorhead of Texas Impact, a statewide interfaith advocacy organization. “If the draft rule becomes adopted by the 3-member Commission as a final rule, the PUC will be telling Texas churches, ‘Send your good intentions and your money to some other state, we don’t want them here.’”

The groups decried the pattern of anti-competitive and anti-consumer behavior by Reliant, including price gouging their customers. “Our electricity prices are already outrageous because Reliant is overcharging its customers and profiting from the hurricane. It’s disgraceful that now they are pressuring our PUC for rules that give Reliant a short-term windfall from others’ use of renewable energy,” said Jayne Junkin, Lead Organizer of ACORN’s Affordable Electricity Campaign. “Reliant is up to no good, continuing to rip off their customers, and the Public Utility Commission shouldn’t stand for it.”

The groups urge the PUC to resist Reliant’s lobby efforts and ensure that their new renewable energy rules stimulate the maximum benefit to the people of Texas.