Pat Wood: The TT Interview
More than a decade ago, Texas made revolutionary changes to the way electric power is bought and sold, and the state also instituted one of the nation's first requirements for renewable energy. Pat Wood, then chairman of the Public Utility Commission, was in the thick of it all.
Wood grew up in Port Arthur, where his grandfather had managed a Gulf Oil refinery and his great-uncles had piloted tanker ships, and he knew from an early age that he wanted to work on energy.
Wood studied civil engineering on a Texas A&M scholarship and attended Harvard Law School ...
Comments (5)
Shaun Swegman via Texas Tribune on Facebook
He really should go by Patrick.
D W
not sure what investment signal he thinks will happen. considering how much one of these power plants cost to build. and how long it takes to build one. why in the world would any business invest billions to build a new plant, if at the end of the day the cost of what they are selling is going to go down. causes at the end of the day, that is what will happen
jpt51
Pat Wood and pals have no excuses for the power outages in 2011 and threats of rolling brown outs again this summer. Taxpayers approved $4 billion in bonds to upgrade the grid but ERCOT dragged it's feet creating a needless crisis. We even had large power towers collapse along the 130 toll road so you can tell there's little state inspection on what we're paying for. That's par for the course where, as with all things GW and Rick Perry, a feeding trough is created for the well connected at the taxpayer's expense. We should be converting all coal plants to gas, pushing more wind energy and making sure the PUC is monitoring utility companies to ensure they are giving consumers the best bank for the buck.
gypsy314 ne
Time will tell but what every American should be asking why everything that can be done is not being done. We has the most energy resources on this planet and we can make our own way with out middle east oil. LNG stations should be going up nation wide clean and cheap energy is a very good start folks so what is the hold up???
Anyone but Obama and democrats.
John F Yeaman
Sun is strongest in late afternoon in summer when A/C are burning electricity. This resource must be developed. Especially home based ones as patio covers or on the roof or yard away from trees, then no new transmission network needed.
Another resource: the Navy operates hundreds of reactors around the clock with two big pluses: standardized reactors and highly trained people. Let's standardize reactors nation-wide for new construction and have the Navy operate them.