Proposal from liberal trial lawyer would raise average residential electric bill by $160 annually

For Immediate Distribution: News Release September 29, 2010

Texans for Rick Perry: (512) 478-3276 Mark Miner: markminer@rickperry.org Catherine Frazier: catherinefrazier@rickperry.org

Having already written a memo to the Obama Administration detailing how to sell cap and trade to the public, liberal trial lawyer Bill White has now proposed an energy policy full of mandates that would cost Texans $4 billion per year and increase the average residential electric bill by $160 annually.

“Bill White has proposed an energy policy full of mandates that would cost Texans $4 billion a year without offering any way to pay for it,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “Texas cannot afford Bill White’s fiscally irresponsible policies of higher taxes, increased regulations on businesses, and mandates costing billions.”

Bill White’s mandates are nearly identical to mandates included in an August 2010 report sponsored by the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation. [1]

In addition to contributing his energy policy, Cynthia and George Mitchell have contributed $52,000 to Bill White's political campaigns. [2]

What Bill White did not lift from the Mitchell Foundation report was the cost of these mandates. According to the Mitchell Foundation, the mandates that Bill White is promoting would increase the cost per kilowatt hour by 1.17 cents and increase each residential average monthly bill by $13.27. [3]

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows Texas had 347,059,227 in total retail sales (megawatt hours) in 2008 – or 347,059,227,000 kilowatt hours. [4]

Increasing each kilowatt hour by 1.17 cents would cost $4,060,592,955.90.

SOURCING

[1] Bill White energy plan, http://www.billwhitefortexas.com/energyplan

[2] Cynthia and George Mitchell contributions to Bill White:
Name / Date / Amount
George Mitchell / 3/7/2003 / $5,000.00
Cynthia Mitchell / 3/7/2003 / $5,000.00
Cynthia Mitchell / 11/10/2003 / $5,000.00
George Mitchell / 11/10/2003 / $5,000.00
Cynthia Mitchell / 6/23/2005 / $5,000.00
George Mitchell / 6/23/2005 / $3,000.00
George Mitchell / 4/11/2005 / $2,000.00
George Mitchell / 10/30/2007 / $2,000.00
George Mitchell / 12/23/2008 / $2,300.00
George Mitchell / 12/23/2008 / $2,300.00
George Mitchell / 12/12/2009 / ($2,200.00)
George Mitchell / 12/23/2009 / $15,000.00
George Mitchell / 5/11/2010 / $100.00
George Mitchell / 5/18/2010 / $2,500.00
TOTAL: $52,000.00

[3] “Texas’ Clean Energy Economy,” Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation, August 2010 (Table 7, page 58 / page 75 of pdf), http://content.news8austin.com/auscontent/HamiltonReportOnCleanEnergy.pdf

[4] State Electricity Profiles, U.S. Energy Information Administration, http://www.eia.gov/cneaf/electricity/st_profiles/e_profiles_sum.html

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