Earth Equity News

California and Texas: Renewable Energy's Odd Couple. By Kate Galbraith, NYTimes, October 19, 2009. "Texas cares little for environmental niceties. Its governor, Rick Perry, bashes EPA at every opportunity, and recently branded the climate bill that passed the House of Representatives a 'legislative monstrosity.' Yet the oil-and-gas state has nonetheless emerged as the nation's top producer of a commodity prized by environmentalists: wind power. Eager developers are covering its desolate western mesas with giant turbines. The world's largest wind farm began operations in Texas this month, and the state now has close to three times as much wind capacity as Iowa, the second-ranked state. This achievement puts Mr. Perry's state in odd company. The race for clean-energy leadership is on -- and big red Texas is going head-to-head with the gung-ho greens of California. That state has thrown itself into solar power and now leads the nation by a huge margin; it has also aggressively pursued energy efficiency. In the absence of sustained federal action to support clean energy and fight climate change, Texas and California are serving as important policy laboratories. Now, as the United States Senate considers the best ways to accelerate the use of renewable technologies -- with the full support of the Obama administration -- lawmakers might do well to look at those states."