Blue Enclave in Texas rejects Green Power
Heh.
Them folks down in Austin, they’re all for the Green; until they have to pay greenbacks from their own wallets for it!
Austin’s clean energy program costing more, selling less
Electric utility chief says separate charge for renewable power may need to be rolled into all users’ bills.
By Marty Toohey
AMERICAN-STATESMANFor the past decade, Austin’s ambition to become the world’s clean-energy capital has been best exemplified by one effort: GreenChoice, a program that sells electricity generated entirely from renewable sources such as wind.
Now the nationally renowned program is struggling to find buyers — the latest allotment is 99 percent unsold after seven months on the market — and Austin Energy is looking for ways to bring down the rising costs.
But those are short-term talks.
Austin Energy officials say that times have changed and that the nation’s most successful (by volume of sales) green-energy program, which offers the renewable energy only to those who select it, might no longer be the best way to carry out the city’s goals. It now costs almost three times more than the standard electricity rate.
Gee? Do you think costing 3 times as much as conventional energy sources might drive consumers away? That didn’t work, so now in true Progessive manner, they’ll force it on their consituents!
Duncan said part of the solution might just be adding new wind, solar and other renewable-energy projects into the bills of all Austin Energy customers, which could increase rates for everyone. He said there are also numerous other policies being considered but declined to discuss them, saying only that they will be proposed publicly in the near future.
Just goes to show the old saw about greens (there are no “Greens”, only Watermellons; green on the outside red on the inside) is still holding true.
Hat Tip: Glen “Instapundit” Reynolds, who opines:
See, environmentalism is mostly about posturing — it’s not actually about sacrificing.
