Counting On Quality of Place: Water Quality, Green Buildings
Center for Houston's Future, 2010
The Center for Houston’s Future wrapped up its third Quality of Place Report and made it available to the public at a regional symposium attended by more than 200 people on January 28, 2011. The Symposium was chaired by real estate developer and quality of place activist, E.D. Wulfe and was comprised of three panels and sessions with more than 25 presenters and participants. In conjunction with the Indicator study or ‘report card’, the symposium is designed to educate policy makers and the general public about the Greater Houston region's progress on selected Quality of Place indicators, and will take place annually to continue the dialogue.

Nuclear Power Subsidies Will Shift Financial Risks to Taxpayers
Union of Concerned Scientists, 2010
The nuclear power industry is seeking tens of billions in new subsidies and other incentives in federal climate and energy legislation that would shift massive construction, financing, operating and regulatory costs and risks from the industry and its financial backers to U.S. taxpayers. Congress should reject these overly generous subsidies to this mature industry whose history of skyrocketing costs and construction overruns already has resulted in two costly bailouts by taxpayers and captive ratepayers—once in the 1970s and 1980s when utilities cancelled or abandoned more than 100 plants, and again in the 1990s when plant owners offloaded their "stranded costs."

Burning Coal, Burning Cash (2010)
Union of Concerned Scientists, 2010
The cost of importing coal is a major drain on the economies of many states that rely heavily on coal-fired power. Thirty-eight states were net importers of coal in 2008—from other states and, increasingly, other nations. Burning Coal, Burning Cash shows the scale of this annual drain on state economies, and suggests how they can keep more of those funds in-state through investments in energy efficiency and homegrown renewable energy.

Energy-Water Nexus in Texas
Environmental Defense Fund, 2009
As we confront the challenges posed by climate change, decisions on supplying energy and water to the world’s growing population should no longer be made in isolation. The challenges facing Texas and the rest of the globe require that we recognize the deep inter-connections and trade-offs involved in deciding how to meet power and water needs in an increasingly resourceconstrained world. This report is the first in a series designed to explore aspects of the energywater nexus in Texas. It examines the water requirements for various types of electricity generating facilities, both for typical systems nationwide and here in Texas. It also addresses the use of energy by water supply and wastewater treatment systems, comparing national averages with Texas specific values.

Building for a Clean Energy Future
Environment Texas, 2009
Texas can reduce its dependence on dirty, dangerous and expensive fossil fuels by adopting new, high performance home designs. Using energy-efficient technology and smallscale solar energy systems, homes can be built to generate as much energy as they use, achieving “net-zero energy” performance. Given anticipated population growth, Texas will likely build nearly 2.2 million additional single-family homes from 2010 to 2030. These homes represent an enormous energy opportunity. If all new homes are built for net-zero energy performance by 2020, then by 2030 the state would avoid the need to build seven new large power plants, reduce annual global warming pollution by an amount equivalent to eliminating emissions from more than 3 million Texas cars and trucks, and reduce homeowners’ energy bills by more than $5 billion – benefiting all Texans.

Texas at a Crossroads: The Case for Addressing Global Warming in Texas
Environmental Defense Fund, 2009
How Texas responds to the global warming problem and the opportunities created by the clean energy economy will play a large role in the economic future and quality of life of Texans. Thousands of potential jobs, billions in new profits and, ultimately, the economic sway of our state in the world’s emerging clean energy economy are at stake. Failing to engage on global warming policy until federal legislation is enacted will

Costs and Benefits of Energy Efficiency Investments in Texas Buildings and Vehicles
Environmental Defense Fund, 2009
Available energy efficiency measures will generate economic returns while avoiding greenhouse gas emissions. These investments are justified on economic grounds, whether or not one is persuaded to act in the face of scientific consensus that climate change is a serious risk to ecosystems and economies. Investment in energy efficiency is a "no regrets" strategy to fight global warming because it pays for itself quickly and continues to provide economic returns for decades. This study quantifies the costs and benefits of energy efficiency investments in buildings and cars for the State of Texas. We find that economic benefits associated with energy bill savings are much larger than capital costs, and the investments have the potential to avoid millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

A New Energy Future: The Benefits of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for Cutting America's Use of Fossil Fuels
Environment Texas, Fall 2006
America has the technological know-how and the resources to move away from dependence on oil and other fossil fuels and toward a cleaner, more secure New Energy Future. America’s dependence on fossil fuels poses challenges to America’s environment, economic health and national security. Each of those challenges is likely to become more critical in the years to come if we continue along our present path of increasing energy use and increasing imports of energy from abroad. A New Energy Future in which America is smarter about how we use energy and in which we tap our abundant supplies of clean, renewable, homegrown energy can address many of those challenges. Achieving that future will require America to set clear goals to guide our energy policies and to mobilize the scientific, economic and political resources we need to meet them.

ENDING THE ENERGY STALEMATE
The National Commission On Energy Policy, December 2004
The report composed by a bipartisan commission details a formulated strategy for addressing America's energy needs policy recommendations for addressing oil security, climate change, natural gas supply, the future of nuclear energy, long-term challenges, and is backed by more than 30 original research studies.

Global Clean Energy Markets: The Strategic Role of Public Investment and Innovation
Clean Energy Group, May 2004
This report examines the role of public investment and technology innovation to build global clean energy markets. A shift to clean energy technology is needed to address growing environmental, economic and energy problems of the 21st century.

Less is More: 14 Pioneers in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The Climate Group, 2004
This study examines the ways in which 14 government agencies and corporations have been able to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

Putting Renewables to Work: How Many Jobs can the Clean Energy Industry Generate?
Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory, April 2004
Expanding the use of renewable energy is not only good for our energy self-sufficiency and the environment; it also has a significant positive impact on employment. This is the conclusion of 13 independent reports and studies that analyze the economic and employment impacts of the clean energy industry in the United States and Europe.

Renewable Resources: The New Texas Energy Powerhouse
Public Citizen & SEED, 2002
Wind power is delivering significant economic benefits to Texas and has the potential to be a major economic force in the future. Fewer than six years after the state’s first commercial utilityscale wind power plant was installed, Texas has 1,100 Megawatts of wind power on the ground. In response to the Texas legislature’s renewable energy requirement, utilities and wind companies invested $1 billion in 2001 to build 912 Megawatts of new wind power projects.

Clean Energy Blueprint
Union of Concerned Scientists 2001
The Union of Concerned Scientists, with assistance from American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and Tellus Institute, investigated the costs and benefits of a Clean Energy Blueprint to promote diversity in production and energy conservation. We also examine a subset of Clean Energy Blueprint policies included in the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Investment Act of 2001 (S. 1333).