Ever play that word-association game as a kid?
I say one thing and you say the first thing that comes to your mind...
Cat... Dog!
Peanut Butter... Jelly!
Texas... Green initiative programs!
Wait a minute...
The same Lone Star State that has long been associated with cowboys (of both the horse ridin' and pigskin throwin' persuasion), rodeos, Tex-Mex and barbecue, has — since January 1901 — also been synonymous with American oil.
So it may strike you as funny that the capital city of Texas is making it its business to fund and promote electric vehicles.
Home to the bulk of Uncle Sam's oil, gas, and chemical industries, Texas's state license plate makes it very clear what the state touts with pride: the plate features an oil rig on the same desert horizon as a lone ranger atop a pony.
The Texas Almanac features this telling explanation of Texan history in its chapter entitled "Oil and Texas: A Cultural History":
For Texans, the 20th century did not begin on January 1, 1901, as it did for everyone else. It began nine days later, on Jan. 10, when, spurting drilling pipe, mud, gas and oil, the Lucas No. 1 well blew in at Spindletop near Beaumont. The gusher spewed oil more than 100 feet into the air until it was capped nine days later. With that dramatic fanfare, Texas' economy was wrenched from its rural, agricultural roots and flung headlong into the petroleum and industrial age.
And yet, November 2009 has brought Houston politicians and the local utility company from the midst of a brown state to the edge of green, as they push their fellow citizens to embrace policy and make the switch — in any way they can — to energy efficiency... starting with the cars they drive.
On Tuesday, Houston utility Reliant Energy's news release detailed the launch of a program to build and bring plug-in hybrid cars to the streets of the state capital, in an effort to demonstrate "the important role that electric cars can play in the city's clean energy future."
The program, called "The Power of the Plug-In," involves converting 10 city-owned Toyota Prius models to plug-in electric vehicles, as well as the installation of 10 companion vehicle-charging stations.
The Power of the Plug-In hopes to educate citizens about electric vehicles and their environmental and economic benefits, while simultaneously promoting Houston as an electric-vehicle center.
Jason Few, President of Reliant Energy, said at the press release:
We envision thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of electric cars on our roads in the coming years, making Houston's air cleaner and the city greener...This pilot project gives both Reliant and the city of Houston the opportunity to learn more about the performance of electric vehicles and the needs of drivers, while promoting consumer awareness and education about plug-in electric cars. Reliant is committed to making Houston and Texas the electric vehicle capital of the United States. We think big in Texas and we have big plans.
Texas Governor Rick Perry has endorsed a $5,000 incentive for purchase of plug-in hybrids in parts of Texas and professed his commitment to the program and to the future of a green Texas.
Earlier this year, Gov. Perry scolded the Environmental Protection Agency and criticized them, fearful the EPA could damage his state's economy. "Unfortunately, our strength in petrochemical production and refining makes us a big target on the radar of an increasingly activist E.P.A., whose one-size-fits-all approaches could severely harm our energy sector; an agency whose potential to harm our state with punitive actions will only increase in the months and years to come," Perry said back in January.
The Governor went on to endorse the $5K incentive for plug-in purchases, as well as to improving energy efficiency on the state level via solar, wind, and biofuels, as well as nuclear power and "traditional Texas sources."
"Texas has a huge opportunity in biofuels if we'll continue leveraging our state's energy expertise while avoiding use of food crops for energy, a practice that harms our farmers and ranchers, and drives up the family grocery bill," Perry said.
"We're committed to making Houston the nation's green energy capital," said Mayor Bill White in the Reliant press release on Tuesday.
If the capital city of the state that makes up about one fifth of U.S. crude oil production is making modest steps in the green direction, and aiming to promote awareness of a future that strays from the state's main economy... seems like the Lone Star State may be turning over a new green leaf.
Brigid
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