Settling down with my usual bedtime reading last night – Austin Energy’s Annual Report of System Information – two tables caught my attention: the “Fuel Costs” (in total $) table on page 2, and the “Energy By Fuel Type”(in total MWh) table on page 3. Hiding in those tables are some meaningful numbers that refute the current thinking that with natural gas prices so cheap, nothing can possibly be cheaper. A little bit of math shows that renewable energy is an even cheaper option.
You probably saw today’s announcement on the formation of “Clean Energy for Austin”, a group of businesses, faith groups, low-income advocates and environmentalists that have come together to support the Austin City Council as it works to pass a forward-thinking plan for our utility.
With more than 70 local businesses big and small, 18 non-profits and 200 individuals in this new group, it’s pretty clear that the generation plan has strong and broad support in Austin. Some of the reasons you’ve already heard: Read More
We hear a lot about the jobs that will be created as we transition to a clean-energy economy, but as a toxicologist, I like to focus also on the improved air quality that will result. However, until the day comes when everyone drives plug-in hybrids and industrial facilities are non-polluting, we must take immediate steps to ensure cleaner air for ourselves and our children.
That’s why I was encouraged by the turnout in support of cleaner air at an event last week. The EPA held one of three national hearings in Houston on its proposed new national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) for ozone. The hearings gave the public the opportunity to Read More
EDF welcomed today’s announcement by President Obama establishing an Interagency Task Force on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
In the next six months, the Task Force is charged with proposing a plan to “overcome the barriers to the widespread, cost-effective deployment of CCS within 10 years, with a goal of bringing 5 to 10 commercial demonstration projects online by 2016.”
“By 2016?” a reporter asked me. “Is that doable?” I responded yes, absolutely. CCS as a technical matter is ready for deployment now. Read More
When I started working on the Texas Green Jobs Guidebook last spring, talking to community college and workforce development folks around the state quickly made it clear that there was serious lack of information on what a green job is and what a person needs to find one. Read More
The proposed $3 billion petroleum coke-fired Las Brisas power plant in Corpus Christi suffered another setback Friday when the executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) said two significant environmental questions were not adequately answered by the plant’s permit application.
