Where Perry and White Stand on Energy Issues
Whoever wins the Texas governorship in November will face a variety of pressing questions concerning one of the state's biggest industries: energy. Texas is a top producer of natural gas, oil and, more recently, wind power. As things stand now, the state is coping with a federal moratorium on new deepwater oil drilling, bracing for federal action on climate change and other air pollution, preparing for an influx of electric cars and debating whether to enact a mandate for renewable energy sources other than wind.
The following is a rundown of the gubernatorial candidates' positions on energy topics, drawn ...
Comments (2)
Robert Nagle
Although this is a very good piece, one additional detail is that Perry has in the past tried to fasttrack the approval process for coal plants. http://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2010/jun/07/bill-white/white-says-perry-fast-tracked-unncessary-coal-fire/
It's good that both candidates are outspoken about energy and climate change and renewable energy. But Perry's embrace of coal is a big black mark on his record. Regardless of how much either candidate talks about new energy sources, Texas still is the US state that emits the most greenhouse gases. Talking about electric cars and oil spills is fine, but not if it diverts attention from our massive contribution to carbon emissions.
Finally, is it enough simply to mention Perry's equivocation about human-caused global warming? If the state's leading politician refuses to accept the <a href="http://www.imaginaryplanet.net/weblogs/idiotprogrammer/2010/01/97-of-climatologists-believe-human-activity-is-a-significant-factor-in-changing-global-mean-temperature/">reasoned judgments of 97% of experts in the field </a>, what does this say about his credibility and his ability to determine the direction of our school systems?
Robert Nagle
Here's the link I was trying to include:
http://www.imaginaryplanet.net/weblogs/idiotprogrammer/2010/01/97-of-climatologists-believe-human-activity-is-a-significant-factor-in-changing-global-mean-temperature/