From the oilfields of the 1901 Spindletop strike to today’s growing wind farms of the west Texas plains, energy has played a key role in the development and prosperity of Texas and Texans alike.

Through incentive and innovation, Texas has successfully diversified its energy portfolio, exploring all energy options from solar and wind to natural gas, nuclear and clean coal. Led by the ingenuity, vision and boldness of Texas entrepreneurs and state support of promising technology, Texas is pointing the way toward energy independence for our nation.

Action Items

»  Governor Perry has made diversifying the energy mix of Texas’ electricity market one of his major priorities, helping to lower electricity prices. In 2012, Texas relied on a variety of fuel sources to meet the growing demand for electricity, including 34 percent of energy produced coming from coal, 45 percent from natural gas, 12 percent from nuclear, 9 percent from wind, and 0.5 percent from other sources such as hydro, biomass, landfill gas, and solar.
»  In 2007, Governor Perry signed comprehensive energy efficiency legislation, House Bill 3693, into law. This legislation created incentives to reduce energy costs through investing in energy efficiency technologies. As a result, Texans reduced electric consumption in 2009 alone in this state by 506,000 megawatt hours. In 2011, he signed SB SB 1125 increasing the energy efficiency goals, including cost caps for those programs to ensure the costs remain reasonable for customers, and allowing consumers to participate in the generation market through demand-management.
»  In 2011, Governor Perry signed House Bill 3328, the first of its kind in the nation, requiring oil and gas companies to disclose chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process. The bill furthers a commitment to ensuring safe energy production in Texas by providing citizens with needed information to better understand this industry practice. HB 3328 illustrates that Texas can lead the nation in oil and gas production while increasing transparency in the process.
»  Governor Perry has stood up against federal energy policies like the offshore drilling moratoria and cap and trade that would make oil, gas, and electricity dramatically more expensive.

News & Announcements

• Monday, October 14, 2002 • Austin, Texas • Press Release
  Gov. Perry Announces Governor's Office Accepting Water Proposals For EPA Grant Program
  AUSTIN - Gov. Rick Perry announced today that the Governor's Office is accepting proposals to compete for funding under President George W. Bush's Watershed Initiative. The President's program, initially announced in his State of the Union address, provides assistance to state and local communities to protect and restore inland and coastal watersheds.
• Monday, October 07, 2002 • Houston, Texas • Press Release
  Move Builds on State Actions to Help Clean Air in Southeast Texas, Governor Says
  HOUSTON - Gov. Rick Perry announced today that the Houston Independent School District has committed to converting more than 600 school buses to cleaner-burning green diesel fuel, a move that will reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 46 tons a year.
• Thursday, July 25, 2002 • Austin, Texas • Press Release
  Gov. Perry Announces Conditional Approval of Houston, DFW Clean Air Plans By EPA
  AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry announced today that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving forward with conditional approval of the state implementation plans for Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth area. This conditional approval hinges on additional funding of Senate Bill 5 in the next legislative session or further emission reductions made in the plans by Sept. 1, 2003.
• Wednesday, July 10, 2002 • Austin, Texas • Press Release
  New State Permit Allows For Greater Reductions In Toxic Emissions
  AUSTIN – Governor Rick Perry announced today that the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and Austin Energy are the first to apply for the state’s new flexible air permit. This flexible air permit, which is a first in the nation for the electric utility industry, commits LCRA and Austin Energy to install Best Available Control Technology over a 10-year period at the Fayette Power Project near La Grange. Austin Energy and the LCRA co-own the Fayette Power Project.
• Friday, May 03, 2002 • Speech
  Text of Governor Perry’ s Remarks at Dedication of Desert Sky Wind Farm
  
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