Green Power R.I.P.?
May 24th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
It could well be one of the great but unnecessary tragedies of the 80th Legislature. Unless action is quickly taken, the Texas renewable energy sector could suffer a serious setback. The reason is an obscure provision called Subsection (m) placed into law in 2005 as part of Senate Bill 20. Intentionally or not, Subsection (m) allows power generators to count consumers’ voluntary purchases of green power towards the state’s mandatory renewable energy goals.
If the double-counting provision is not struck in the next few days, businesses and households who voluntarily sign up for green energy plans, either through companies like Green Mountain or city-run programs like Austin Energy’s green power program, will soon essentially be doing nothing to incent the construction of new wind farms and other sources of renewable power. Yes, power companies will still have to meet the mandated targets (eventually 10,000 megawatts of green power by 2025) but subsection (m) turns those targets into a cap, rather than a floor. For people trying to use their buying power to do something extra for clean air and climate change, they will be rendered powerless. Moreover, the EPA will move to decertify Texas utilities currently listed as Green Power Partners. Any utility still advertising a voluntary renewable power option could run the risk of consumer fraud.
Bee Moorhead of Texas Impact, an interfaith group that promotes faith communities purchasing renewable energy, explains the problem with a clever metaphor. It’s as if, she says, every time someone took a can of food to the food pantry, the government reduced food stamps. But the power industry doesn’t necessarily mind the situation - it makes their lives a little easier that the little guy is doing the renewable power buying for them.
“It’s taking that church’s tithe and turning it into a charitable contribution to TXU,” she explains. Moorehead says she now encourages Texas congregations NOT to sign up for voluntary green power programs. Instead she tells faith groups to look out of state for renewable energy credits.Â
All of this could have been avoided much earlier in the session if a bill by Rep. Mark Strama had made it out of the House Regulated Industries Committee. No luck there but Strama did manage to append the repeal of Subsection (m) to SB 483, a major electricity bill that is currently on life support. That leaves only a couple of other options. Rep. David Swinford says he is working to have the Senate amend one of his renewable energy bills pending before that chamber. However, time is quickly running out.
