The Great Texas Wind Rush
A Future Tense Event
Event
How did Texas—the state with the most oil rigs—end up an American leader in wind farming?
In their new book, The Great Texas Wind Rush, reporters Kate Galbraith and Asher Price tell the fascinating story behind Texas’ unlikely wind-energy boom. In the late 1990s, the small towns of Texas were being decimated by the oil crisis, and few would have thought alternative energies might be the solution. But in a state known for bristling at environmental regulation, entrepreneurs, politicians, and environmentalists—from T. Boone Pickens to George W. Bush—saw the potential and began to embrace wind farming. By 2012, Texas was generating about 9 percent of its electricity from wind, and some of those same towns are now thriving in the shadow of 300-foot-tall turbines.
What will the future hold for this important natural resource that is changing the face of Texas energy? And will other states be able to replicate Texas’ success?
The New America Foundation hosted a conversation with Kate Galbraith, moderated by New America Fellow Konstantin Kakaes.
Participants