This Texas City Will Soon Be Powered Entirely by Renewable Energy
Georgetown officials say their green power plan will save residents money.
News that a Texas city is to be powered by 100 percent renewable energy sparked surprise in an oil-obsessed, Republican-dominated state where fossil fuels are king and climate change activists were described as "the equivalent of the flat-earthers" by US Senator and GOP presidential hopeful Ted Cruz.
"I was called an Al Gore clone, a tree-hugger," says Jim Briggs, interim city manager of Georgetown, a community of about 50,000 people some 25 miles north of Austin.
Briggs, who was a key player in Georgetown's decision to become the first city in the Lone Star State to be powered by 100 percent renewable energy, has worked for the city for 30 years. He wears a belt with shiny silver decorations and a gold ring with a lone star motif, and is keen to point out that he is not some kind of California-style eco-warrior with a liberal agenda. In fact, he is a staunchly Texan pragmatist.
"I'm probably the furthest thing from an Al Gore clone you could find," he says. "We didn't do this to save the world-we did this to get a competitive rate and reduce the risk for our consumers."
In many Texas cities the electricity market is deregulated, meaning that customers choose from a dizzying variety of providers and plans. In Houston, for example, there are more than 70 plans that offer energy from entirely renewable sources.
This post was edited on 4/8 2:32 PM by THE_DEVIL
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/04/georgetown-texas-renewable-energy
Georgetown officials say their green power plan will save residents money.
News that a Texas city is to be powered by 100 percent renewable energy sparked surprise in an oil-obsessed, Republican-dominated state where fossil fuels are king and climate change activists were described as "the equivalent of the flat-earthers" by US Senator and GOP presidential hopeful Ted Cruz.
"I was called an Al Gore clone, a tree-hugger," says Jim Briggs, interim city manager of Georgetown, a community of about 50,000 people some 25 miles north of Austin.
Briggs, who was a key player in Georgetown's decision to become the first city in the Lone Star State to be powered by 100 percent renewable energy, has worked for the city for 30 years. He wears a belt with shiny silver decorations and a gold ring with a lone star motif, and is keen to point out that he is not some kind of California-style eco-warrior with a liberal agenda. In fact, he is a staunchly Texan pragmatist.
"I'm probably the furthest thing from an Al Gore clone you could find," he says. "We didn't do this to save the world-we did this to get a competitive rate and reduce the risk for our consumers."
In many Texas cities the electricity market is deregulated, meaning that customers choose from a dizzying variety of providers and plans. In Houston, for example, there are more than 70 plans that offer energy from entirely renewable sources.
This post was edited on 4/8 2:32 PM by THE_DEVIL
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/04/georgetown-texas-renewable-energy
