Repower Texas with Clean Energy News Releases

Today the House of Representatives voted 264 to 163 to pass “The C.L.E.A.N. Energy Act of 2007,” (H.R. 6) which would close some tax loopholes for big oil companies, and recover royalties from oil and gas produced in public waters.  H.R. 6 will shift more than $14 billion from these subsidies to investments in clean energy, such as energy efficient technologies and renewable power.  The bill was the last of the six bills brought up for consideration during the House’s first 100 legislative hours.

Tomorrow the Commissioners of the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) will vote on a proposed rule that will determine the fate of wind energy development in our state. Last year, the State Legislature passed, and Governor Perry signed into law, SB 20, a bill increasing the portion of renewable energy used by the state and providing a mechanism to provide the transmission lines needed to bring the renewable energy to market. After sixteen months of intensive rulemaking to implement SB 20, on the afternoon before Thanksgiving the Public Utility Commission released a new rule drastically weaker than the rule originally drafted by the Commission staff.

Environment Texas today launched a new campaign calling on congressional candidates to support policies to move America beyond oil and toward a cleaner energy future.

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.