Rep. Patrick Rose this morning had an opinion piece printed regarding transparency reforms at the Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) , echoing similar criticism from the Austin American Statesman last week. I’m not saying I agree with every word Rep. Rose wrote here in this morning’s San Marcos Local News, but this shows that this will likely be an issue in the upcoming Legislative Session. As a bit of history, Rep. Rose (D-Dripping Springs) and Senator Troy Fraser (R-Horseshoe Bay), both of whom are members of the co-op, tried to pass a bill to increase transparency at PEC last session, but that ultimately failed when, as with so many other issues, it got killed by Voter ID.
As an aside and for full transparency’s (ha!) sake, Rep. Rose is also my State Representative and I have to give him a big hat tip for the work he has done in working to reform the PEC, as that work directly affects the electric bills my family and neighbors pay every month.
Commentary
By PATRICK ROSE
District 45 State Representative
Our three-county district is served entirely by electric co-ops and municipally owned systems. I believe that public power has served our area well and kept costs lower than other energy providers across the state. As we continue our efforts to protect and grow jobs in our region, energy affordability is key. This is one of the many reasons why I am committed to a strong and transparent Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC).
On Monday, Senator Troy Fraser (R-Marble Falls) and I spoke at the August meeting of the PEC board of directors. I appreciate every opportunity to meet with the board and co-op members about our reform efforts.
My remarks were focused on my strong disapproval of the board’s latest mistake that cost co-op members $1 million, firing its general manager days before the election of two new board members. In June, PEC seated its first ever 100 percent democratically elected board. This decision could have and should have waited until the new board members, duly elected by the members, were sworn in.
The two outgoing directors were part of the legacy board that allowed for and participated in the mismanagement and corruption at PEC that was brought to light over the last few years. They should not have been part of any decision that impacts the future of PEC. At the meeting, I repeatedly asked Larry Landaker, PEC’s board president, to explain why he and two other board members joined forces with the last two legacy members. He could not answer the question, and furthermore, he admitted that the board did not have cause for the firing, thus costing co-op members $1 million.
These actions are unacceptable and show the irresponsibility and lack of transparency that justify legislation. What co-op members can count on, regardless of the makeup of the PEC board or who is general manager, is that Sen. Fraser and I are committed to transparency and openness at our cooperative. The legislature will reconvene in January and we will proceed with our effort to statutorily protect members’ rights. Continue Reading »
Posted in Co-op Reform, Energy, Good Government | Tagged Energy, Juan Garza, My Energy Coop, Patrick Rose, pec, pec scandal, Pedernales, pedernales electric coop, pedernales electric cooperative, public citizen texas, Texas, troy fraser |
August 25, 2010 by Citizen Carol
Image via Wikipedia
In a message from the State Bar President Terry Tottenham to members of the Bar, he reminds attorney’s in this State that there are important changes being considered to the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct (TDRPC) and that the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors is conducting a series of public education hearings on proposed amendments to the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct.
The Board of the State Bar has created an online clearinghouse of information regarding the proposed rule changes at www.texasbar.com/ethics. The site includes:
- the revised proposed amendments and interpretive comments (click here for PDF)
- a redlined version of the proposed changes (click here for PDF)
- an overview of the process and summary of significant changes written by the Court’s rules attorney (click here for PDF)
The site will be updated with audio recordings of the public education hearings and other relevant information. Lawyers and members of the public are encouraged to post comments.
Changes to the disciplinary rules will affect all Texas lawyers and their clients . Many organizations, including Public Citizen, as well as individuals have weighed in on the proposed amendments. We believe that the public has not been adequately informed of opportunities to comment and that the proposed amendments run counter to the public interest. Click here for an open letter from our director, Tom “Smitty” Smith. Click here for the comments Public Citizen submitted to the Texas Supreme Court regarding the proposed amendments. Click here for links to other comments the State Bar has received.
The State Bar Board of Directors will discuss the proposed TDRPC amendments and any recommendations or comments during the board’s quarterly meeting in Clear Lake on Oct. 1, 2010.
If you have questions about the proposed amendments or the State Bar’s public-education process, or if you wish to submit written comments, please contact Ray Cantu at (512) 427-1506 or rcantu@texasbar.com.
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.
Posted in Global Warming, Good Government | Tagged Bar association, Law, Lawyer, Organizations, public citizen texas, State Bar of Texas, Supreme Court of the United States, Texas, United States |
August 20, 2010 by Adrian Shelley
Local energy storage company Xtream Power inks a deal to supply the Tres Amigas project with their technology. CH2M, another firm with central Texas connections (who has been hiring some of Austins finest green talent) lands the construction contract. Will local green engineers Kurt Lyell (one of the original founders of Austin Bio-fuels) or John Hoffner (KOOP radio Shades of Green) be working on this gem?
CH2M Hill lands contract for managing construction on the project. Will one grid rule them all?
A 22.5-sq.-mile site in the small town of Clovis, New Mexico is the only place in the United States where the three grids that service the western states, some eastern states, and the entire state of Texas all meet.
TresAmigas Superstation
Sort of. The three grids come close to each other, but they aren’t connected. This prevents electricity from being transferred between the Eastern Interconnection (which services states like New York), the Western Interconnection (which services states like California), and the Texas Interconnection (well, this one is obvious). In that sense, it’s like the nation’s fragmented roads in the 1950s, before the Interstate Highway System linked the country.
With Tres Amigas, California conceivably will be able to siphon off excess wind capacity from Texas. At the current juncture, that is physically impossible. The transmission structure doesn’t exist and energy storage technologies — flow batteries, compressed air, sodium batteries — aren’t yet economical enough to start planting them en masse in the desert.
CH2M Hill is overseeing the construction of Tres Amigas SuperStation, a project that will change all that. The project will connect the entire power grid across America for the first time. The initial phase of the project will cost $600 million, but the hub is expected to make money by buying and selling electricity to utilities (and could make some $4 billion in revenue every year).
In the last 20 years, blackouts have increased to 124 percent in the United States. Smart grids could predict a potential outage and send electricity to the places where it is needed. Continue Reading »
Posted in Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, green jobs, Renewables | Tagged Austin, Energy, energy storage, green jobs, public citizen texas, renewable energy, Texas |
August 16, 2010 by Adrian Shelley
Oncor wants to get some home energy monitors in the field to see how they work and get customer feedback. There are a limited number available, so you would need to act fast to have a chance at one. There are a couple of qualifications, of course.
First you must live in the Oncor service territory. Oncor is the “poles and wires” part of the DFW-area electrical system, not the Retail Electric Provider. (Their general area is in the DFW area but they reach into east and central Texas, as well as some other areas.)
Second, you must have an active smart meter. These are the new meters that Oncor has been deploying, you should have received a door hanger when you had your meter changed out, and the meter must be active. You can check on the Smart Meter Texas website to see if your meter is active.
Here is the information found in the flier that they are distributing:
“Act Now! You may be eligible to receive a free in-home energy monitor!
Oncor is giving away up to 500 FREE In-Home Energy Monitors through the end of the year. The monitor interacts with smart meters and
allows electric customers to monitor energy consumption in a real-time basis. You may be eligible to receive a FREE In-Home Monitor* by
taking the following steps:
1. You must have an active smart meter. You may verify this by logging on to the Texas smart meter web portal at www.smartmetertexas.com and sign up to view your energy usage.
2. Email us at hansupport@oncor.com with “Free IHM Request” in the subject line of the email. We simply need your name, ESI ID number,
which can be found on your electric bill, email address and the address for us to mail the device.
This FREE offer is part of Oncor’s Smart Meter Verification Plan. If you have questions about the program, please contact Lauren Davis at
214.486.5306
*While Supplies Last
This is a limited offer so if you have a new smart meter and are interested in you real time energy consumption here is an opportunity to get a free in-home display and participate in the initial roll out of this new program to help save energy.
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.
Posted in Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, green jobs | Tagged conservation, dfw, energy conservation, energy reduction, in home monitor, oncor, public citizen texas, Real time energy display, smart meter, Texas |
Not only does the pollution of dirty energy companies extend across other states but so does their influence. Not far from Texas, California is fighting two big Texas oil companies to keep its air cleaner. To give you some background, California passed historic legislation in 2006 that mandates the state to cut 25% of its greenhouse emission by 2020. A legislation such as California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 would cost oil companies extra bucks to get their facilities to comply with the requirements of the law.
The two Texas oil companies, Valero and Tesoro own 4 out of California’s 15 most pollutant facilities. The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and the California Environmental Justice Alliance issued a report that contains details on several environmental violations in the state and sheds some light on illegal spews of toxic chemicals. But just like what oil companies do, Valero and Tesoro have become primary funders of California’s Proposition 23 which would suspend AB32, if it passed. The two companies have spent big bucks to get the legislation passed just like what they do back home in Texas. Combined, both companies have spent over 2 million so far.
Once again, the Republican Party is selling this legislation as an incentive for jobs. It suspends AB32 until unemployment in California dips back to 5.5% for 5 consecutive quarters. To simplify, Republicans are blurring the line between employment and public health and it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, many jobs can be created by using green energy and these jobs will not pose any health risks to the employees or the residents of the area. The Republican party has to get a different energy plan than, ”work and get sick or no work at all.” It is 2010 and we can employ many more better resources in the United States than the dirty ones we have been using for the past century. I must add that even California’s Governor, a Republican thinks this proposition is ridiculous. Schwarzenegger said in July that, “the move would seriously undermine California’s efforts to attract new investment and create thousands of new jobs in green technology.” His Republican opponent for the governor seat, however, is vowing to suspend the law for at least one year, if she takes office.
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.
Posted in Air Quality, Campaign Finance, Energy, Global Warming, Good Government, green jobs, Renewables, Toxics | Tagged Big Oil, California AB32, California Environmental Justice Alliance, California Governor, california unemployment, clean air act, dirty energy, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, Governor Schwarzenegger, oil refineries, Prop 23, Proposition 23, public citizen texas, public health, Tesoro, Texas, Valero |
August 12, 2010 by Citizen Carol
Public Citizen Calls For A Moratorium On Permitting All New Sources
Of Greenhouse Gases Until Texas Gets Plan In Place
EPA issued proposed rules today that will require Texas to modify its state implementation plan to cover Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG). If Texas does not, then EPA is proposing a federal implementation plan (FIP) that would apply in any state that is unable or unwilling to submit a plan to permit greenhouse gasses.
We are calling on Texas to put a moratorium on permitting of any new sources of greenhouse gas emissions until Texas gets its permitting plan in place and approved. Governor Perry’s policies and the decisions of his appointees to not regulate global warming gasses will let millions of tons of hot air escape through permitting loopholes that will cost Texans billions of dollars to close. 55 million new tons of CO2 emissions will have been added to Texas overheated skies by the 8 additional coal plants permitted by Perry’s appointees. Three more plants that could emit nearly 22 million tons a year are in the permitting stage, and a moratorium could stop adding hot air and higher costs to the consumer.
The first rule of holes is to quit digging. Rick Perry needs to drop that shovel. It’s time for the Governor to stop complaining and picking fights, and get down to the actual work of governing. It’s easy to blame others when Rome is burning: it’s another thing entirely to be throwing gasoline on the fires.
Texas leads the nation in emissions of greenhouse gasses, and could be leading the nation in economic development from efforts to reduce these emissions. Reducing our greenhouse gas emissions through efficiency programs and leading the country in the development of wind energy has provided jobs for 84,000 Texans, and cheaper, cleaner electric bills for folks when we need it most. Public Citizen calls on both candidates for Governor to quit ducking this issue and disclose their plans for reducing global warming gasses.
Perry and his appointees have known this day is coming for nearly 20 years. The Texas legislature gave TCEQ the authority to regulate greenhouse gasses in 1991. Since then 37 other states have made plans to reduce global warming emissions, but not Texas. Since 1990, global warming emissions in Texas will have increased by 25 percent.
Perry and his appointees have blocked any attempts to even get early credit for the approximately 42 million tons of emissions reductions resulting from the renewable energy we’ve put on line, or the energy efficiency we’ve installed. This short-sightedness will cost Texans billions to make additional reductions. These are costs that could have been avoided if Perry’s appointees had acted when EPA called for early submittal of pre-existing emission reductions.
This rule would apply to new major stationary sources and major modifications at existing major stationary sources. Those sources must obtain a PSD permit outlining how they will control emissions. The new permits will require facilities to apply best available control technology, which is determined on a case by-case basis taking into account, among other factors, the cost and effectiveness of the control.
EPA intends to finalize this rulemaking action on December 1, 2010, and give states a deadline of 12 months thereafter to submit their plan.
In an earlier dispute with EPA over other issues with Texas’ permitting rules, a lobbying push by oil giants resulted in a bipartisan group of Texas legislators asking state environmental regulators to quickly solve a permit dispute with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that has left some of the nation’s largest oil refineries in operating limbo. This letter, signed by 46 legislators, is the latest indication that while Gov. Rick Perry and his Republican supporters are ready and willing to wage war with Washington on everything from environmental regulation to education spending, some battles are wearing on the industries that have helped Texas weather the recession.
Let’s move Texas forward along with the rest of the nation in making sure our regulation of pollution ultimately benefits all Texans and harms none.
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.
Posted in Coal, Global Warming | Tagged climate change, co2, Coal, EPA, Global Warming, greenhouse gasses, perry, public citizen texas, Texas |
Public Utility Commission Chairman Barry Smitherman recently sat down with Texas Tribune reporter Kate Galbraith to talk about energy efficiency, CREZ, smart-meters, non-wind renewables, the switch-hold rule, the Lege, and Federal climate legislation (or lack thereof?). It’s a good read/listen if you have some time. Some interesting highlights:
On the efficiency agency idea (we’ve had something to say about it here, here and here in conjunction with the rather lame energy efficiency rule adopted on July 30):
Galbraith: What do think of the environmentalists’ proposal to house all aspects of energy efficiency under one roof?
Smitherman: I talked to Smitty about it on Thursday, when I came back because I was out of the office last week, and I came in and I was catching up on the clips, and I called him up and I said, well that was quite a letter you sent to Speaker Straus, and we kind of laughed about it a little bit. You know, I think there’s some merit to it. Because whether it’s SECO or here or over at the housing agency, there’s at least three if not more places. Plus you’ve got the local community efforts where energy efficiency dollars are being expended, and there’s really no mechanism in place to coordinate that. And so if you want to take it and put it in SECO or put it over here, I don’t care. I think creating an entirely separate new agency is going to be tough next session because it’s going to be a busy session with redistricting and the budget and a number of other issues — Sunset — but it might make sense to take energy efficiency and house it in one place.
It is encouraging to hear the chairman agree that the nifty idea of combining efficiency programs under one roof makes sense. PS- The “Smitty” he mentions is Public Citizen’s own Texas State Director Tom “Smitty” Smith, our boss.
On direction from the 82nd Lege:
Galbraith: Do you expect more direction next session?
Smitherman: I do. I think there are a number of members that believe very strongly in energy efficiency. And we saw that this last session with a couple of bills, and so I would expect there to be a robust debate at the end of the session. I don’t know where it will come out at the end of the day, but I think that the debate will be there. And what I hope continues to happen is that we use a broad portfolio of tools to address our energy security and independence and price stability, and energy efficiency is one of those tools. I wouldn’t suggest that we do only energy efficiency and not build the CREZ, for example; or not try to promote a new nuclear plant. But there are some people who really believe that energy efficiency is the way to go.
I don’t know who is advocating for only energy efficiency to accomplish clean air, lower bills and energy security, but it certainly should be a top priority, no?
Check out the entire transcript here to get the rest of the good stuff.
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.
Posted in Air Quality, Consumers, Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming | Tagged Barry Smitherman, CREZ, Kate Galbraith, public citizen texas, Public Utilties Commission, PUCT, Texas, Texas Legislature, texas tribune |
August 11, 2010 by Citizen Carol
NRC and EPA called upon to examine radioactive waste site and licensing process, risks of groundwater contamination and potential risks to the Ogallala Aquifer, which lies beneath eight states
AUSTIN – Environmental groups today asked the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to investigate the radioactive waste storage and disposal programs administered by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for the West Texas radioactive waste site owned by Waste Control Specialists (WCS). The groups say the TCEQ has failed to protect public health, safety and the environment by repeatedly and brazenly abusing its legal authority and disregarding warnings of its technical staff about the site’s hazards. Further, citizens have not had adequate opportunities to participate in the licensing processes.
The groups are calling on the NRC to consider terminating or suspending the TCEQ’s authority to regulate the storage and disposal of low-level radioactive waste and radioactive byproducts in Texas. The groups also are asking the EPA to review the potential impact on the water supply and take action if necessary.
Read the full release, the request to NRC and EPA,and supporting documents online at www.TexasNuclearSafety.org. The request was filed by Public Citizen and the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club, along with State Representative Lon Burnam (Texas House District 90), and individuals from Andrews, Texas and Eunice, New Mexico, who live near the WCS facility in Andrews County. The matter is urgent because WCS has been pushing the Texas Low Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission to let it import radioactive waste from at least 36 other states.
Some of the hottest radioactive waste that exists, including nuclear reactor containment vessels and poison curtains that absorb reactor radiation, could be buried in the proposed radioactive waste dump. There is not a single radionuclide that can’t go to the so-called ‘low-level’ site, and many of them remain hazardous for literally millions of years.
Radioactive waste dumps around the country have leaked. Cleaning up contaminated groundwater is difficult and expensive. Texas taxpayers could be on the hook for clean up costs if the site and groundwater become contaminated or if there are transportation accidents.
Go to www.TexasNuclearSafety.org to learn more.
Posted in Nuclear | Tagged environmental, EPA, NRC, Nuclear, nuclear waste, public citizen texas, TCEQ, Texas, waste control specialists, WCS |
August 10, 2010 by Adrian Shelley
Come close together, cats and kitties, and gather ’round, while the Powerman gets his story-telling hat- the one with the fine white brim- slips it on and talks about what’s going down with a happening riff:, with a tip o’ the hat to Lord Buckley for those yet to be hip to the flip, we are not talking bout sound. 60.000 cycles per second 60 hertz or one sixtieth of a second, precisely, exactly, over and over, up and down, positive to negative and back again, round and around. You- over in the corner, the group that seems in tune, go ahead and hit an Ohm- I know that you want to. Now don’t that sound mighty fine, but take it down real low, just a hum, the cats might have to carry this tune ’cause it’s down kinda a low, around 60 cycles or so. Now there’s a Ohm that’s fine to hear and hum that travels, it’s nice and it’s clear, and kitties don’t worry if the tone hunts around, that’s fine, it’s how it works, now I’ll tell you what’s going down.
Back in the day, not so long ago, there were wizards walked the earth mighty and proud. They worked with lightning, electricity we say, with sparks and bolts that could knock you down, pick you up and smack you around and kill a cat if you didn’t know the rules, it wasn’t nothing to play round with now, can you dig it? I knew that you could. Continue Reading »
Posted in Coal, Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, green jobs, natural gas, Renewables, solar, Uncategorized | Tagged Clean Energy, climate change, Energy Efficiency, ercot, Nikola Tesla, public citizen texas, Texas |
Today, Public Citizen and Environmental Defense Fund sent a letter to the Legislature calling on them to support the creation of a new state agency dedicated to efficiency. I tend to think in the problem-cause-solution framework about public policy issues so here’s the short version:
Problem: Energy efficiency languishes in Texas after years of progress. Indeed, the way Texas oversees its efficiency programs is ineffective, and ironically, inefficient.
Cause: There are at least five and potentially six state agencies that are involved in efficiency programs. They do not coordinate with each other. Many state employees probably do the same job. Meanwhile, the PUC fails to pass strong energy efficiency goals and they do not recognize energy efficiency as a pro-consumer and pro-business investment.
Solution: Consolidate all state efficiency programs into an entity that could independently review, approve and assess the current PUC and other state programs.
For the full letter sent to the Lege, click here.
What you can do about it: Call, email, your State Rep. and Senator. Tell them it’s time for energy efficiency reform. We can make it work better for all Texans.
-Matt
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.
Posted in Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, Good Government, Sunset | Tagged EERS, Energy Efficiency, public citizen texas, PUC, Texas |
At a time when in much of the US we are facing the most significant heat waves in decades, global temperature averages have shown 2010 to be the hottest year ever in recorded history, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration / Climactic Data Center just released its most comprehensive report on climate change which may as well have been called “It’s Real and It’s Here: NOW!”, and droughts, heatwaves, and wildfires are causing Armageddon-like conditions around Moscow, causing even the global warming denying Russian government to capitulate to the scientific consensus….. Even with all of that, it would seem like an odd time for the state of Texas to send a shot across the EPA’s bow, insulting them and goading them into a fight over Texas carbon emissions and the Clean Air Act.
But yet they have.
Monday August 2nd the state of Texas sent a letter to the EPA (original can be downloaded here) informing them that we would no longer be complying with the Clean Air Act, specifically provisions relating to the regulation of greenhouse gases. This letter signed by Attorney General Greg Abbott and TCEQ Commissioner Bryan Shaw is full of bluster and short on reasoned legal arguments with any real merit.
What it really remind me of is one of my favorite paintings, Запорожцы пишут письмо турецкому султану or, Zaprozhe Cossacks Writing a Letter to the Turkish Sultan by Ilya Repin. (For comparison’s sake, I would highly recommend following that link to read the text of the Cossack’s letter– it has language saltier than anything else I’ve heard this side of South Park) I just can’t help think of the unabashed joy that must’ve coursed through the veins of the Atty General and TCEQ Commissioner as they drafted this, using phrases like Continue Reading »
Posted in Global Warming, TCEQ | Tagged bryan shaw, carbon regulation, clean air act, deregulation, Dr. Al Armendariz, EPA, greenhouse gas emissions, greg abbott, Lisa Jackson, Massachusetts v EPA, public citizen texas, Rick Perry, tailoring rule, TCEQ, Texas, Texas Attorney General |
Public Citizen, Environmental Defense Fund Call for Independent State Agency to Coordinate State’s Energy Efficiency Efforts
AUSTIN – In response to the Public Utility Commission’s (PUC) planned adoption of new energy efficiency goals, Public Citizen and Environmental Defense Fund today called for sweeping changes to the way Texas runs its energy efficiency programs. The groups said that a single independent state agency would better serve Texas because it could coordinate programs currently regulated by multiple agencies and reduce agency overlap.
“We have no confidence in the Public Utility Commission process,” said David Power, deputy director of Public Citizen’s Texas office. “The time has come to change the way Texas saves energy because the current setup is ineffective. It is time for the Legislature to take control and create a new state agency that can put consumers first and save more money.”
The groups plan to send a letter to state Sen. Troy Fraser, chair of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, and state Reps. Jim Keffer and Burt Solomons, chairs of the House Energy Resources and State Affairs Committees, asking them to support legislation in the upcoming session to create an independent efficiency agency.
Under current law, the PUC, the agency in charge of regulating most of the state’s “poles and wires” companies, is supposed to review and approve the energy efficiency programs of the utilities. But other state agencies oversee efficiency programs too, including the Department of Housing and Community Affairs and State Energy Conservation Office. Housing the coordination of these efforts under one roof would help streamline state regulation and create more savings potential for Texans, the groups said.
“Several agencies either run or oversee similar programs,” said Kate Robertson, energy efficiency specialist with Environmental Defense Fund. “In some instances, like market outreach, a single state agency could coordinate the activities of all efficiency programs instead of multiple people doing the same thing for their own programs.”
The groups also criticized the PUC’s negative attitude toward energy efficiency. Over the past year and a half, agency staff had been developing plans to increase the state’s goal for energy efficiency. On Friday, however, the three commissioners appointed by Gov. Rick Perry slashed the proposal dramatically, ostensibly for cost reasons, reducing the efficiency goal from 1 percent of peak demand by 2014 to a third of the growth in demand by 2013 – a much smaller increase. The PUC even has proposed curtailing the amount utilities can spend on efficiency measures.
“It is baffling to us that the commission thinks energy efficiency is not worth the cost,” said Matthew Johnson, a policy analyst with Public Citizen’s Texas office. “Ratepayers’ utility bills pay primarily for fuel like natural gas and coal, power plants and the grid infrastructure. Energy efficiency costs around a dollar per month on a typical $100 electric bill and it pays for itself by reducing the need for new, costly power plants.” Continue Reading »
Posted in Coal, Consumers, Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, natural gas, Nuclear, Renewables | Tagged Burt Solomons, david power, Energy Efficiency, Jim Keffer, Kate Robertson, matt johnson, PUC, Railroad Commission, Rick Perry, seco, TDHCA, Texas, troy fraser, Water Development Board |
In their recent report on how energy efficiency is bad for consumers in Texas, the Texas Public Policy Foundation took some time to tout nukes.
To distinguish the development of new nuclear reactors from the previous generation which was frought with cost overruns and delays, they claim the following (page 7-8):
“But unlike consumers from the 1980s, today’s consumers won’t be taking on the risk of cost overruns. In fact, they won’t be taking any risk at all. Once the new nuclear plants are complete, the price of the electricity sold from the plants will be determined by market forces. If the price is higher than the cost of the electricity, the plants will be profitable. If not, the plants will lose money. But it is the investors–not consumers–who will bear that risk.”
The investors will bear all the risk? Really? Well, published today is a report from Forbes.com that, in addition to announcing NRG’s dramatic scaling back on nuclear development (by some 95%) quotes NRG Energy’s CEO David Crane as saying he is:
“more comfortable when someone else takes risk.” (as in, the citizens of San Antonio?)
Ouch! I encourage y’all to read the full Forbes article and this one from last December, which notes that a major part of NRG’s strategy is to sell to municipally-owned utilities and electric cooperatives. They are medicine for those that think new nuclear is cost-competitive because they’re all about how dependent nuke developers are on federal loan guarantees (aka subsidies).
EDITOR’S NOTE: Also of interest is an article from this morning’s NYTimes that shows the cost of solar is now cheaper than the cost of nuclear, and a hot-off-the-presses article from Greg Harman at the San Antonio Current saying that with NRG taking so much investment out of developing the plant, and the US gov’t balking at more subsidies for this nuclear pork behemoth, that the only way to make the deal work is to get the governments of France and Japan to also help bail out their investors with, you guessed it- more loan guarantees. How many countries and government bailouts does it take to build a nuke plant in Texas? Three, apparently. Ahhh, nuclear power- it’s like fiscal conservative kryptonite. One mention of it and any and all pretense of being pro free market just disappears as they can’t stop lining up to the gravy train of pork, loan guarantees and subsidies. ~~Andy
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.
Posted in Consumers, Efficiency, Energy, Nuclear | Tagged david crane, Energy Efficiency, forbes, nrg energy, Nuclear, public citizen texas, renewable energy, Texas, texas public policy foundation |
The EPA is holding hearings on newly proposed coal ash regulations throughout the country. One of the few places they’ve decided to hold a hearing is Dallas. Coal ash waste facilities have never been properly regulated, despite the fact that coal ash is full of toxic pollutants and carcinogens. This is due primarily to the fact that the coal lobby wants to profit off of their waste by selling it to other industries for use in manufacturing products ranging from concrete to fertilizer.
Texas has 17 coal plants, all of which produce massive amounts of toxic coal ash waste that get stored either in slurry ponds (coal ash mixed with water) or in landfills.
Check out more info and find out how you can encourage the EPA to regulate this waste properly by visiting Sierra Club’s action page.
For some background info on the coal ash waste disaster in Tennessee go here.
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We arePublic Citizen Texas.
Posted in Coal, Energy, Good Government, Toxics | Tagged Coal, coal ash, dallas, EPA, hearing, Public Citizen, Sierra Club, Texas, tx, waste |
Perry Appointees Smitherman, Nelson, Anderson protect consumers from energy efficiency
There is a disturbing trend emerging in Texas. A once successful consumer-oriented program is floundering because of a deficit of perspective behind the dais at the PUC.
The Public Utility Commission of Texas proposed adopting an update to the state’s energy efficiency program that would cap the amount of money utilities could spend on programs that reduce the energy bills for homes and businesses.
Under the rule, utility expenditures on energy efficiency would be limited to one tenth of one cent per kilowatt-hour. That’s $0.001, which would amount to around a dollar a month for the average home. It’s worth pointing out that there are no cost caps for other energy resources, just the cheapest one.
This bears repeating: the PUC does not want utilities to spend more money to fund programs that make Texas homes more energy efficient and reduce their utility bills.
During today’s hearing, it was abundantly clear that Governor Perry’s appointees to the commission have folded to industry pressure and adopted the bizarre world view that energy efficiency costs consumers too much money. As evidence, in addition to only considering utility industry estimates on the cost of future efficiency resources, they frequently alluded to a report released this week by the conservative and industry-friendly Texas Public Policy Foundation which made unsubstantiated claims that the consumer benefits of energy efficiency programs could not only be less than currently estimated, but actually negative (page 3). (A more detailed critique of their report is coming).
At a workshop earlier this month, the commissioners only allowed industry representatives to present information. No consumer advocates, environmental groups, no academics were allowed to present and even the comments by ACEEE seem to have been ignored.
It’s now time for the Legislature to be the grownups in the room Continue Reading »
Posted in Air Quality, Coal, Consumers, Diesel, Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, Good Government, green jobs, natural gas, Renewables | Tagged Barry Smitherman, Donna Nelson, EEIP, Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, Ken Anderson, public citizen texas, PUC, Rick Perry, SB546, Texas |
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