Mayoral Candidate Endorsements By Heaa 8 27 09

PRESS RELEASE: Date: August 27, 2009 HEAA announces Annise Parker best Mayoral candidate for renewable energy, zero emission cars, and reduction of pollution / carbon gas-- and has signed a written pledge of action. Houston Electric Auto Association (HEAA) has interviewed the four Mayoral candidates, asking them to respond to a fixed slate of questions** and proposed initiatives, generally… if elected, what will their intent be towards use of renewable energy, including zero emission electric cars versus typical tailpipe emitting cars. In addition, each candidate was asked to sign a written pledge to take action on related initiatives within a defined time period after taking office. Of the four candidates, all consented to this interview, two signed a pledge to the citizens of Houston for action, and one became uncooperative entirely. We now publish their answers/ pledge in summary form below as their "report card," along with their HEAA numerical rating in the area of this issue. Without further ado, the findings: The following action pledge was signed by Parker and Morales, but refused by the other candidates: "If I am elected Mayor of Houston, within 100 days of taking office, I will place on the City Council Agenda for action/ vote, a combination of incentives and an information campaign to encourage the citizens of Houston to learn about family household pollution levels/ carbon footprints and how to most easily lower their totals significantly by encouraging them to consider zero emission driving, and switching to zero carbon electricity… "I will also use my personal leadership to encourage the broadest economic use of renewable energy by the City of Houston's direct and indirect accounts, including solar pv units, wind energy, and electric vehicles." <signed> both by Annise Parker (action in 100 days), and by Roy Morales (pledged action in 200 days). A. Parker Total score

102

R. P. Morales Brown 97

93

G. Locke 0

Discussion of results/ findingsThe HEAA went into the interviews with entirely clean slates, no favorites, and determined to treat each candidate the same / fairly. The same questions were posed to each. Surprise findings included: Morales- is (only candidate) not convinced that climate change is being influenced by human activity. Other than that, Morales does have a very positive attitude towards encouraging information and actions to lower family and city pollution / carbon footprints. His score is 97. Signed the pledge for timely action (200 days) out of motive/ pure beliefs that cleaner is better, and desire for US energy independence. Locke- Locke agreed to the interview, understood all four candidates were being asked the same slate of questions, but flatly refused to answer the questions during the session, and in followups, refused to respond. Would not even agree to disclose personal car model (for sake of learning its emission statistics) as each other candidate did. The only answers which could be cited for Locke were elicited during our general discussion in his office. He would not agree to sign a pledge for timely action. Claims to have a generally positive

attitude toward renewable energy and e-cars. It pains us very much to assign a 0 score for Locke on these issues. He seems to be a fine candidate in other areas. Brown- has cast himself as the "Green candidate" in Mayoral forums, answered the questions in a very positive way, but refused to sign the pledge for timely action despite multiple followups. Why would a proponent of these issues refuse to promise to act? It enables a reasonable fear that if the candidate will not promise to act, he will not act. Score still is 93. Parker- most knowledgeable of the candidates re the issues of renewable energy and e-cars, and enthusiastically signed the pledge for timely action (100 days) on renewable energy and e-cars for citizens, and for the City accounts. Has personally driven a hybrid electric for several years (only candidate to do so), and personally maintains a zero carbon electric account at home (only candidate to do so). Score 102, highest of the four candidates. Houston Electric Auto Association asks each voter to learn about their home/ family pollution output levels; to learn about the attitudes and intents of the Mayoral candidates on the subject of how best to improve our area's pollution levels; and to vote for the candidate who promises to do the best / most on this subject. Whoever is the winner, HEAA will continue to lobby the Mayor and Council to reduce area pollution by encouraging citizen use, and insisting on municipality use, of renewable energy and zero emission cars. The HEAA is so concerned because Houston has in most ways fallen well behind most large USA cities in the phenomenon of guiding citizens to pollute less, bringing renewable energy and electric cars into the city. While Mayor White can cite a few very recent favorable statistics (recent start of direct City account use of cheap wind power, some hybrid vehicles in city fleet, 3rd party gift of a solar installation), generally Houston has gone slowly or not at all on encouraging citizens to use such items as wind or solar power and nonpolluting E-cars, or even learning the significant ways to lower family pollution levels easily and by large amounts. Use of subject items will greatly lower the pollution/ carbon footprint of any city (they make no emissions of any kind), they save citizens money (e cars are the cheapest motorized transportation, under 2 cents per mile, less than even riding the bus), and they seem so vital to any hope of US energy independence. Leaders of all US cities claim to want these things for their people, and yet the City of Houston leaders have done almost nothing about it despite being asked by various organizations for some time. We urge voters to vote for the candidate who is most forward thinking in these areas. Results are shown above, with the full initiative script shown below, and background questions footnoted. Actual Proposed City of Houston initiatives – Parker Brown Locke a) enact information outreach program encouraging use of zero pollution/carbon electricity and vehicles yes yes no ans

Morales

yes

b) inform educate re typical family pollution levels and components yes yes

no ans

yes

c) inform citizens how to switch to zero carbon uses yes yes

no ans

yes

d) inform that largest parts

of family pollution are (#1) vehicle exhaust, and (#2) carbon from electric generation for home account yes yes

no ans

yes

e) inform that if no large societal change, pollution will cause Texas to become too hot to live in within 50 to 75 years yes yes no ans

yes

f) require City fleet to use some e cars,, track $$ savings and avoided carbon amount yes yes

no ans

yes

g) implement a Citizen incentive program for zero emission use, free parking at meters for zero emission cars yes yes

no ans

yes

h) implement cash rebate for buyers of e cars as Austin and other US cities do yes maybe

no ans

maybe

i) encourage utilities to visibly use and explain zero emission vehicles (no pollution), and to participate in rebate plan yes yes

no ans

maybe

j,k,l) encourage car companies to disclose emission statistics of vehicles in advertising and selling maybe maybe

no

no

m) make e-car taxis fully legal correcting a corrupt law yes yes

no ans

yes

n, o) establish incentive for creation of charging stations yes yes

no ans

yes

p) find US cash programs for cities for tapping funds for e cars and solar pv units for City and for citizens yes yes

no ans

yes

Footnote below **

Footnote** **Additional table of informative questions: Background questions#1- did you know Houston is USA's 2nd largest "non-attainment area"? Yes yes

yes

yes

#2- convinced of humans causing global warming ? yes yes

yes

no

#3- aware of emissions of different classes of cars? Yes

no

no

no

#4- aware of emission of Your own car? Yes

yes

no

no

no

no

no

no

#5- know emissions of Hybrid cars ? Yes yes #6- know how much will be by plug-in hybrid? No no #7- know volume of one ton of carbon gas at sea level? No no

no

no

#8-Personal car tons Carbon gas

undisclosed

7

yes

yes

6

#9-Personally aware of existing e-cars? Yes yes #10--Know electric generation for e-car makes 1/10 of direct carbon gas from average car?

5

No

no

not ans

no

#11--Know e-car cost to drive under 2 cents per mile? No yes

not ans

no

#12—want City to spend more than necessary on gas when e-car will suffice? No no

not ans

no

#13 - will you get modest number of e-cars in fleet to begin use, track costs? Yes

yes

not ans

yes

#14- know NEVs are street legal on 45 mph streets? No

yes

not ans

no

#15- do you personally want to encourage Houstonians to make less pollution / carbon gas? Yes yes

not ans

yes

#16- what priority is #15? High

not ans

medium

#17-have you already instituted clean energy initiatives? Yes yes

not ans

yes

#18—if elected, will you lobby for clean Energy initiatives by City? Yes yes

not ans

yes

no ans

sad

no ans

na

no ans

no

high

#20/21- re City's 2008 report Re plan to lower carbon footprint by Mercury & Assoc, no mention of zero emission vehicles Sad sad #22/23-did you know about requested initiatives, support or against or no voice yes yes #24—do you think encouragement of e-cars/ renewables hurt oil companies? No no #25—requested initiatives in best Best interest of Houston?

Yes

yes

no ans

no