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Politics : Rat's Nest - Chronicles of Collapse -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (6322)	8/22/2007 1:55:49 AM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24225

If Texas leads in going green, rest of world will follow State can reverse backward energy reputation By MICHAEL E. WEBBER Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Texans have a bad reputation worldwide because we consume two-thirds more energy and emit two-thirds more greenhouse gases per person than the average American, who is already twice as consumptive and polluting as the rest of the industrialized world. If Texas were a nation, our greenhouse gas emissions would be seventh-highest in the world, about the same as countries with three times our population. But, despite our backward approach to consumption and the climate crisis, with a little political leadership to get us going the right direction Texas could lead the energy revolution. Though we seem backward to much of the world on energy issues, Texas is still the center of the energy world, with a large collection of energy industry headquarters, R&D labs, manufacturing, and expertise in energy finance, law and services. Companies in the greater Houston area alone control about half the nation's pipeline capacity for oil and gas and have about one-seventh of the nation's gasoline refining capacity. Because of our leadership position for the traditional energy era, when Texas decides to get fully on board with an energy path, the rest of the world's laggards — such as China and India — will surely follow. Texas became the world's traditional energy leader primarily because of our plentiful natural and geological resources — such as vast oil and gas deposits — which spawned local resource production and natural ports for accepting oil tankers from far-flung locations worldwide, which produced a concentrated refinery industry along the Houston ship channel. Because we have more renewable potential — combined between wind, solar and biomass — than any other state in the nation, our geological blessings can once again put us in a position to lead the world's energy choices, this time down a greener path. This isn't such a preposterous idea. Texas already has a surprisingly long list of green energy "firsts." In 1999 we were the first state to adopt renewable portfolio standards to require that a minimum percentage of our electricity is generated by renewable sources. Today half the states use similar standards, having followed Texas' lead. Texas has the most installed wind power capacity among all states in the nation, ahead even of California. We also have the nation's first Clean Energy Incubator, the first comprehensive municipal green building. We remain one of two finalist states for a pilot-scale clean-coal demonstration project, and Austin Energy is leading the world's adoption of novel plug-in-hybrid cars to reduce oil consumption. Recently, the Department of Energy awarded Texas with the world's most advanced wind-energy test bed facility along the coast, which will help Texas maintain its position as the nation's wind leader. To top it all off, the real Cinderella story might be Rep. Mark Strama's amendment to HB 3732, which created a large tax incentive for oil companies to use captured man-made CO2 for enhanced oil recovery that will boost profits and kickstart an industry for the capture and geologic storage of CO2. Wouldn't it be ironic for backward Texas to leapfrog the rest of the world in creating an efficient market for carbon, with producers in East Texas who emit CO2 and don't want it selling their captured gas to West Texas oil producers who are willing to pay for it? Right now Texas turns a blind eye to our runaway consumption and excessive emissions, but when the sleeping giant of the Texas government and energy industry wake up to the vast opportunities of the green energy revolution, we can move the world forward substantially and profit handsomely. All we lack is political leadership that is willing to tackle our energy challenges and the climate crisis head-on by getting out in front on energy conservation and emissions issues the way California and Denmark have. We need rigorous energy efficiency programs, state sponsorship for carbon capture and storage research, and incentives for power companies to help citizens reduce their consumption. This is our chance to grab leadership by the horns again in a way that only Texans can. Let's not mess it up. Webber is the associate director of the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy in the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin. chron.com