The State of Texas has been trying to make a name for itself as a leader in the clean energy industry, but a recent drop off in investments of green technology has already had an impact on those aspirations. KUT’s Mose Buchele reports on prospects for moving forward.
August 31, 2010 · Earlier this year, state and local lawmakers were abuzz with the prospect of luring Ying Li, a Chinese Solar Panel manufacturer, to Austin. The company had secured millions in federal tax breaks and hundreds of thousands in subsidies from the city. Reuters News Service even reported that the move was a done deal. Then, in late May, Ying Li got cold feet.
Becero: “There’s just a lot of changes going on in the global solar market.”
Jose Becero worked on the deal with the Austin Chamber of Commerce. He says fiscal belt tightening in Europe, where funding for much of the solar industry comes from, forced Yingli to put its plans on hold. And for the time being, Austin - and Texas - shouldn’t wait for outside companies to lead a green energy push.
Becero: “There’s a lot of hope for the upcoming legislative session here in Texas.”
Europe isn’t the only place tightening its belt. But even with Texas facing its own budget deficit, state lawmakers think there is room to promote green tech. Part of that is because of momentum started last session, when State Senator Troy Fraser, a Republican from Horseshoe Bay, wanted to create a fund to subsidize solar panels.
Fraser: “We got very close to passing our solar bill last year, just if we didn’t have the upheaval in the house on other issues, that would have passed. So I do plan on filing that again.”
Those “other issues” included a contentious voter ID proposal that derailed many initiatives. Of course, the upcoming session will have its own political land mines and Austin Democratic State Representative Mark Strama says clean energy progress may on the timing.
Strama: “So maybe we can move bills early and get something accomplished early in the sessions, and maybe try to get ahead of the chaos that’s going to ensue when we get bogged down in things like redistricting and the budget.”
The next legislative session begins in January. |
