Gov. Deval Patrick gave a spirited defense of his and President Obama’s support for renewable energy companies, embracing the notion that the state and federal governments should subsidize the development of green power.
“I have heard enough about Evergreen, or for that matter Solyndra,” Patrick said on Wednesday morning, referring to two solar panel manufacturers that received hefty subsidies and went bust. “We are not always going to score. But we are never going to score anything if we don’t get in the game. One company that comes up short hardly discredits an initiative that has spawned 5,000 thriving companies and nearly 70,000 jobs and counting.”
His voice rising, Patrick noted he used to work for Texaco, part of an industry that frequently drills dry wells. “When the critics are ready to talk about the massive subsidies for Big Oil even when they drill dry wells, we can have a serious conversation about the tiny subsidies we use to foster a new, American-grown industry in alternative energy,” he said.
Patrick spoke at what amounted to a rally for green power at FastCAP Systems, a manufacturer of advanced battery-like devices for electric vehicles located in Boston’s Innovation District. Following renewable energy testimonials from municipal officials, renewable energy workers, and Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference, Patrick gave a lengthy speech in which he made the case for his green power policies.
He said state businesses and residents spend $20 billion annually on energy, of which $18 billion, or about $8,000 per household, ends up leaving the state. He said the development of home-grown green energy keeps that money inside the state, growing the local economy.
Patrick also argued that now is the perfect time to invest in green energy, even if it costs more. He said electricity prices have dropped roughly 40 percent over the last three years as the price of natural gas has fallen, so “we have a perfect window right now to make clean energy investments.” Four years ago, the Patrick administration pushed for green power subsidies with a very different argument. At that time, natural gas prices were high and administration officials said green power subsidies were needed to get the state off the fossil fuel price roller coaster.
The governor said his support for Cape Wind is unshaken and added that more offshore wind projects may be coming. He said he was encouraged by the Obama administration’s creation of a Massachusetts Wind Energy Area in federal waters south of Martha’s Vineyard that could be developed to generate 4,000 megawatts of wind energy. Companies that have expressed interest in putting wind farms in the area include Arcadia Offshore Massachusetts, Condor Wind Energy, Deepwater Wind New England, Energy Management Inc., enXco Development Corporation, Fishermen’s Energy, Iberdrola Renewables, Neptune Wind, Offshore MW, and US Mainstream Renewable Power Offshore.
Asked by an audience member how he would compare his efforts on behalf of renewable energy and the environment to those of former Gov. Mitt Romney, Patrick paused a long time, thinking through his response. He said the state had only a nominal commitment to clean energy before he took office, and had not joined the regional cap and trade program to curb greenhouse gas emissions. He said his administration joined the regional program his first week in office and then quickly set about passing a series of laws providing incentives for energy efficiency and the development of green energy.
Warming to a subject that he will probably often return to on the campaign trail for Obama, Patrick indicated there was a sharp difference between his approach and that of Romney. “One is about making the right noise, and the other is about doing it,” he said.
