December 5, 2007

FOCUS ON TEXAS: MEETING ELECTRICITY NEEDS WHILE STIMULATING JOBS & THE ECONOMY

Following up on our March 2007 report on energy efficiency and onsite renewables in Texas, ACEEE released two additional reports: the first explores the economic and jobs impacts statewide and the second looks at the impacts of policies in the state's two largest metro regions—Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. The Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston metro areas are the most rapidly growing regions in Texas, which is among the fastest growing states in the United States. Statewide, the recommended policies would create about 38,300 net new jobs in 2023. This is roughly equivalent to the employment that would be directly and indirectly supported by the construction and operation of 300 average manufacturing plants within Texas. This translates into over 11,000 new jobs in each of the metro areas. The second report finds that two-thirds of the potential savings in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and over half of the savings in the Houston area can be realized by local government action. In many cases, local authorities may be more effective than state policies. Read more about these studies.

Back to ACEEE's Grapevine Online