Coal Looms Large in Texas Governor's Race. By Christa Marshall, ClimateWire, 10/21/10. “The man vying to be Texas' first Democratic governor in more than a decade mentions the fossil fuel immediately when asked about the biggest difference between himself and Republican Gov. Rick Perry. ‘Rick Perry is for more coal-fired plants. I'm for more natural gas, renewables and energy efficiency,’ said White, a former three-term mayor of Houston and deputy secretary of energy, in a phone interview with ClimateWire. Nationally, White said he would like to see coal's usage drop from 50 to 35 percent, a decline he said could occur in a dozen years or sooner.
“White's comments come at a pivotal point in the Texas gubernatorial contest, where Perry is seeking a third term. With less than a month until Election Day, the race is considered a tossup by political analysts, [which] raises the possibility that White could be the first Democratic governor of Texas since Ann Richards left office in 1995… The energy ramifications of the race are huge, considering that Texas is by far the nation's biggest greenhouse gas emitter and one of its main energy producers. The state's carbon dioxide emissions are roughly [equal to] the combined output of the No. 2 and 3 CO2 spewers, California and Pennsylvania. Texas also leads the nation in the wind-powered generation capacity and consumes more electricity than any other state, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.”
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