The Great Texas Wind Rush: How George Bush, Ann Richards, and a Bunch of Tinkerers Helped the Oil and Gas State Win the Race to Wind Power (Peter T. ... Natural Resource Management and Conservation)

## ACknowledgments ind is intangible, and we needed a lot of help from a lot of people to grasp it. Thanks, foremost, to the dozens of people we interviewed, especially Michael Osborne, Joe James, and Jay Carter Jr. Each was Buddha-like in patience as we asked, again and again, just one more question. Ken Starcher at the Alternative Energy Institute (AEI) and Nolan Clark, now retired from Bushland, acted as a kind of weather vane, pointing us in the right direction. Don Graham at the University of Texas at Austin helpfully suggested pieces of literature to round out our story. Russel Smith let us hold onto his invaluable archives for months, Coy Harris allowed us to return repeatedly to dig through his collection, and Janet Sawin lent her magnificent dissertation. Was there ever a journalist who had a better grasp of Texas electricity deregulation than Bruce Hight? His incisive work in the 1990s-and the box of old notes he so helpfully pulled from his garage for us-served as a lodestar of good reporting. ## W viii The GreaT Texas Wind rush Thanks also to the helpful folks at the Briscoe Center archives and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (especially Tonia Wood). Thanks, too, to our editors at the Texas Tribune and the Austin American-Statesman, who supported this effort and, more broadly, allowed us to develop our skills as Texas energy reporters. A boileddown version of this book appeared in Texas Monthly in August 2011, thanks to Jake Silverstein and Jeff Salamon, who imaginatively shaped our work into a readable narrative. Robert Righter generously read this manuscript and offered ideas, as did another reviewer whose name we don't know but who has our gratitude. Our editor at the University of Texas Press, Casey Kittrell, has been a wonderful partner on this project. In so many ways, he made sure the wind was always at our backs. Thanks, too, to Kathy Bork for her close reading. Asher adds: I would like to thank Kate for inviting me along on the project. She told me she needed someone to make her get up and go on a run each morning. As it turned out, not only did she outrun me, she also made sure our laces were tied correctly. And especially to Rebecca Markovits, who puts me in mind of a Magnetic Fields lyric: I need her "like the wind needs trees to blow in." Kate adds: Special thanks to Asher for setting the standard on writing-graceful, eloquent, with always a magical analogy or turn of phrase. And thank you to my family for always being there to listen. I'll always remember an outing to California in which my one-year-old niece, too, was entranced by windmills. From two environmental journalists, “the improbable story of how the oil and gas state became the nation’s wind-power leader” ( The Texas Observer ). In the late 1990s, West Texas was full of rundown towns and pumpjacks, aging reminders of the oil rush of an earlier era. Today, the towns are thriving as 300-foot-tall wind turbines tower above those pumpjacks. Wind energy has become Texas’s latest boom. How did this dramatic transformation happen in a state that fights federal environmental policies at every turn? In The Great Texas Wind Rush , environmental reporters Kate Galbraith and Asher Price tell the compelling story of a group of unlikely dreamers and innovators, politicos and profiteers. The tale spans a generation and more, and it begins with the early wind pioneers, precocious idealists who saw opportunity after the 1970s oil crisis. Operating in an economy accustomed to exploiting natural resources and always looking for the next big thing, their ideas eventually led to surprising partnerships between entrepreneurs and environmentalists, as everyone from Enron executives to T. Boone Pickens, as well as Ann Richards, George W. Bush and Rick Perry, ended up backing the new technology. In this down-to-earth account, the authors explain the policies and science that propelled the “windcatters” to reap the great harvest of Texas wind. They also explore what the future holds for this relentless resource that is changing the face of Texas energy. “Enjoyable to read. . . . I learned something on every page.” —Michael Webber, Associate Director, Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy, University of Texas at Austin “A thoughtful, valuable story for anyone who cares about renewable energy or climate change.” ― The Associated Press In The Late 1990s, West Texas Was Full Of Rundown Towns And Pumpjacks, Aging Reminders Of The Oil Rush Of An Earlier Era. Today, The Towns Are Thriving As 300-foot-tall Wind Turbines Tower Above Those Pumpjacks. Wind Energy Has Become Texas's Latest Boom, With The Lone Star State Now Leading The Nation. How Did This Dramatic Transformation Happen In A Place That Fights Federal Environmental Policies At Every Turn? In The Great Texas Wind Rush, Environmental Reporters Kate Galbraith And Asher Price Tell The Compelling Story Of A Group Of Unlikely Dreamers And Innovators, Politicos And Profiteers. The Tale Spans A Generation And More, And It Begins With The Early Wind Pioneers, Precocious Idealists Who Saw Opportunity After The 1970s Oil Crisis. Operating In An Economy Accustomed To Exploiting Natural Resources And Always Looking For The Next Big Thing, Their Ideas Eventually Led To Surprising Partnerships Between Entrepreneurs And Environmentalists, As Everyone From Enron Executives To T. Boone Pickens, As Well As Ann Richards, George W. Bush And Rick Perry, Ended Up Backing The New Technology. In This Down-to-earth Account, The Authors Explain The Policies And Science That Propelled The Windcatters To Reap The Great Harvest Of Texas Wind. They Also Explore What The Future Holds For This Relentless Resource That Is Changing The Face Of Texas Energy.--publisher's Description. Following A Glider -- The Tinkerers -- The Oil Embargo -- The 1980s : Boom -- Then Bust -- Ann Richards -- And A Big Wind Farm At Last -- Windcatters -- A Wind Requirement -- The Next Decade : Takeoff -- The Future -- The Lessons Of Texas Wind. By Kate Galbraith And Asher Price. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [189]-192) And Index. Two environmental reporters tell the fascinating story behind Texas's unlikely triumph in the clean-energy marketplace through wind farming.