Governors' Wind Energy Coalition

Rick Perry’s energy legacy is more complicated than you think

BY JIM MALEWITZ AND KIAH COLLIER, Texas Tribune • • Posted 2016-12-14 06:55:17

Although Texas’ longest-serving governor was, perhaps unsurprisingly, pro-oil and gas during his tenure, he didn’t simply nod to those iconic, staple fuels: “You can be proud that Texas produces more energy from wind turbines than all but five countries,” he said. Indeed, Perry, left a nuanced energy legacy — including overseeing booms in fossil fuels and renewables — during his time in Austin. (Texas is now the No. 1 U.S. producer of both natural gas and wind energy.) Now, he is poised to take his experience to Washington, where President-elect Donald Trump has reportedly tapped him as U.S. secretary of energy. The appointment would mark a full repair in Perry’s relationship with Trump, whom he called “a cancer on conservatism” last year while the two men were in a crowded field for the Republican presidential nomination [ read more … ]

Beyond ‘Oops’: Perry’s Past May Raise Confirmation Questions

By The Associated Press • • Posted 2016-12-14 06:55:42

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry spent years perfecting his cowboy swagger — he rarely left home without his signature cowboys boots and even claims to have once used a .380-caliber Ruger pistol to gun down a coyote while jogging. He’s probably best known, though, for the 40 seconds he spent on a 2011 presidential debate stage trying desperately to remember the third of three federal agencies he’d promised to shutter if elected, before sheepishly muttering “Oops.”
[ read more … ]

AP Sources: Trump Offers Montana’s Zinke Interior Secretary

By Matthew Daly and Matthew Brown, Associated Press • • Posted 2016-12-14 06:56:38

President-elect Donald Trump has offered Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke the job of interior secretary, though it’s unclear whether the congressman has accepted, two people with knowledge of the offer said Tuesday. Zinke, 55, is a retired Navy SEAL who was awarded two Bronze Stars for combat missions in Iraq. He was an early supporter of Trump and met with the president-elect Monday at Trump Tower in Manhattan. [ read more … ]

Big Zap: Huge New Power Lines in West Get Federal OK

By The Associated Press • • Posted 2016-12-14 06:56:18

Two power line projects that won federal approval Tuesday will give a big capacity boost to the Western energy grid, including power for up to 1 million homes from what’s on track to become the biggest wind farm in the U.S. The TransWest Express project will help California meet its goal of getting half its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 by carrying up to 3,000 megawatts from the Chokecherry-Sierra Madre wind farm in southern Wyoming. The new power lines would span 728 miles from the wind farm to southern Nevada, crossing northwest Colorado and all of Utah along the way. [ read more … ]

America’s New Ambassador To China Is A Boon To The Renewables Sector

By Tristan R. Brown, Seeking Alpha • • Posted 2016-12-14 06:56:58

The renewable energy trade between the U.S. and China has very much been bidirectional, however. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Energy calculated that the U.S. was a net importer of wind turbines and wind turbine parts. Furthermore, Asia, primarily in the form of China, was the source of 42% of the value of those imports. The state of Iowa has installed an average of 500 MW of new wind power capacity annually over the last decade, more than any other state except Texas. Not all of this expansion occurred under Mr. Branstad, who was out of office between 1999 and 2011, and not all of the capacity was imported from China. Mr. Branstad has overseen some of the largest increases in capacity, however, and China has been financing U.S. wind power production even when it does not directly supply the turbines. [ read more … ]

For new infrastructure, apply Republican approach to power and communications

By Reed Hundt, The Hill • • Posted 2016-12-14 06:57:23

One is the system of generating power, transmitting it to local utilities, distributing it to buildings and consuming it from the grid as efficiently as possible. This energy infrastructure attracts about $100 billion a year in capital expenditure, mostly by utilities. But it could use at least double that amount in order to guarantee that only domestic sources — principally natural gas, nuclear, solar and wind — are used. The other goal is to deliver the electricity to end users at the same or lower prices than are paid today. [ read more … ]

Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.

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	December 14, 2016
Rick Perry’s energy legacy is more complicated than you think BY JIM MALEWITZ AND KIAH COLLIER, Texas Tribune • • Posted 2016-12-14 06:55:17 Although Texas’ longest-serving governor was, perhaps unsurprisingly, pro-oil and gas during his tenure, he didn’t simply nod to those iconic, staple fuels: “You can be proud that Texas produces more energy from wind turbines than all but five countries,” he said. Indeed, Perry, left a nuanced energy legacy — including overseeing booms in fossil fuels and renewables — during his time in Austin. (Texas is now the No. 1 U.S. producer of both natural gas and wind energy.) Now, he is poised to take his experience to Washington, where President-elect Donald Trump has reportedly tapped him as U.S. secretary of energy. The appointment would mark a full repair in Perry’s relationship with Trump, whom he called “a cancer on conservatism” last year while the two men were in a crowded field for the Republican presidential nomination [ read more … ] Beyond ‘Oops’: Perry’s Past May Raise Confirmation Questions By The Associated Press • • Posted 2016-12-14 06:55:42 Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry spent years perfecting his cowboy swagger — he rarely left home without his signature cowboys boots and even claims to have once used a .380-caliber Ruger pistol to gun down a coyote while jogging. He’s probably best known, though, for the 40 seconds he spent on a 2011 presidential debate stage trying desperately to remember the third of three federal agencies he’d promised to shutter if elected, before sheepishly muttering “Oops.” [ read more … ] AP Sources: Trump Offers Montana’s Zinke Interior Secretary By Matthew Daly and Matthew Brown, Associated Press • • Posted 2016-12-14 06:56:38 President-elect Donald Trump has offered Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke the job of interior secretary, though it’s unclear whether the congressman has accepted, two people with knowledge of the offer said Tuesday. Zinke, 55, is a retired Navy SEAL who was awarded two Bronze Stars for combat missions in Iraq. He was an early supporter of Trump and met with the president-elect Monday at Trump Tower in Manhattan. [ read more … ] Big Zap: Huge New Power Lines in West Get Federal OK By The Associated Press • • Posted 2016-12-14 06:56:18 Two power line projects that won federal approval Tuesday will give a big capacity boost to the Western energy grid, including power for up to 1 million homes from what’s on track to become the biggest wind farm in the U.S. The TransWest Express project will help California meet its goal of getting half its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 by carrying up to 3,000 megawatts from the Chokecherry-Sierra Madre wind farm in southern Wyoming. The new power lines would span 728 miles from the wind farm to southern Nevada, crossing northwest Colorado and all of Utah along the way. [ read more … ] America’s New Ambassador To China Is A Boon To The Renewables Sector By Tristan R. Brown, Seeking Alpha • • Posted 2016-12-14 06:56:58 The renewable energy trade between the U.S. and China has very much been bidirectional, however. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Energy calculated that the U.S. was a net importer of wind turbines and wind turbine parts. Furthermore, Asia, primarily in the form of China, was the source of 42% of the value of those imports. The state of Iowa has installed an average of 500 MW of new wind power capacity annually over the last decade, more than any other state except Texas. Not all of this expansion occurred under Mr. Branstad, who was out of office between 1999 and 2011, and not all of the capacity was imported from China. Mr. Branstad has overseen some of the largest increases in capacity, however, and China has been financing U.S. wind power production even when it does not directly supply the turbines. [ read more … ] For new infrastructure, apply Republican approach to power and communications By Reed Hundt, The Hill • • Posted 2016-12-14 06:57:23 One is the system of generating power, transmitting it to local utilities, distributing it to buildings and consuming it from the grid as efficiently as possible. This energy infrastructure attracts about $100 billion a year in capital expenditure, mostly by utilities. But it could use at least double that amount in order to guarantee that only domestic sources — principally natural gas, nuclear, solar and wind — are used. The other goal is to deliver the electricity to end users at the same or lower prices than are paid today. [ read more … ] Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.
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