Houston Mayor Annise Parker said her city has signed an agreement with locally based Reliant Energy, an NRG Energy Inc. company, to purchase more than 140 MW of renewable power through June 30, 2015. Parker said the city’s purchase of green power will account for half of its annual electricity demand, making it the largest municipal purchaser of renewable power in the nation, and in the top 10 overall nationally, according to federal energy statistical estimates. Through Reliant, Houston has purchased renewable energy credits (RECs) that are Green-E certified. Noting that they are “taking advantage of more cost effective and cost competitive REC prices,” city officials contend that they have maintained a relatively flat power price while also increasing the percentage of renewable energy in the city’s portfolio. Houston has committed $2 million for the two-year agreement, less than a cent/kWh on top of the city’s power price. In addition to purchasing green power, Houston has been purchasing and building renewable energy projects, such as wind and solar.
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Articles from Mayor
Portland Mayor Urges Oregon to Drop Fossil Fuel Investments
In the context of opening a United Nations (UN) environmental event in his city Wednesday, Portland, OR, Mayor Charlie Hales called for several Oregon state investment funds to purge themselves of holdings in fossil fuel companies. The state’s largest city already has taken that step, Hales said.
West Virginia E&P Begins Sixth Marcellus Well
Trans Energy Inc. has begun drilling its sixth horizontal well in Marshall County, WV, looking to further tap into the area’s Marcellus Shale gas, the independent exploration and production company said Monday.
Pittsburgh Passes Prohibition on Gas Drilling
The Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved an ordinance prohibiting natural gas drilling in the city, despite questions about the ordinance’s legality.
Salazar Says He Will Stay Put at Interior
Ending days of speculation, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar Thursday said he will not run for governor of Colorado and instead will back popular Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper as the Democratic candidate for the state’s top job.
Salazar Says He Will Stay Put at Interior
Ending days of speculation, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar Thursday said he will not run for governor of Colorado and instead will back popular Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper as the Democratic candidate.
New Energy Producer, Consumer Coalition Debuts
A new coalition — the Energy Initiative Coalition — debuted in Washington, DC Friday. The group, which is co-chaired by former Sen. John Breaux of Louisiana and former Long Beach, CA, mayor Beverly O’Neill, will be different from other energy coalitions that focus solely on the interests of one group, said a Breaux spokesman.
New Energy Producer, Consumer Coalition Debuts
A new coalition — the Energy Initiative Coalition — debuted in Washington, DC Friday. The group, which is co-chaired by former Sen. John Breaux of Louisiana and former Long Beach, CA, mayor Beverly O’Neill, will be different from other energy coalitions that focus solely on the interests of one group, said a Breaux spokesman.
AK Voters Choose Palin for Governor, Defeat Gas Reserves Tax
Alaskan voters Tuesday gifted the oil and gas industry with a Republican governor and defeat of a controversial tax on natural gas reserves.
CA Governor Hopeful Wants to Remove State from Energy Programs
Richard Riordan, a leading Republican candidate for governor and former mayor of Los Angeles, last week lashed out at Calfironia’s Gov. Gray Davis for allegedly mishandling the state’s ongoing energy crisis and injecting the state into too strong a role within the electricity industry.
