Not to blow our own trumpet too much, but we did say Monday that right-wing pundits would start laying into Al Gore. Now the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has accused him of being an energy hog, using 20 times the electricity of the average household. Calling him a hypocrite, center President Drew Johnson said the former vice president and winner of the 2000 popular vote in the presidential election should “walk the walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to home energy use.”

However, the report ignores two facts: 1) The Gore house is also the Gore office, and he pays a premium rate to buy guaranteed wind- and solar-generated electricity. He buys carbon credits for the natural gas he burns, and the whole place is carbon neutral. 2) Gore’s energy company, Nashville Electric Service, says it never gave the center the information about Gore’s bill and doesn’t know why it’s claiming they did.

Plus, if anyone had bothered to check, the supposedly independent Tennessee-based think tank is actually a libertarian shill for consumer-unfriendly tort reform and is opposed to public health care and a raise in the minimum wage. It’s already called the green energy movement “beneficiaries of federal pork.” So it’s fair to skip the “impartial” label here.

Here’s a quick question: Has anyone checked how much green energy Drew Johnson buys?

If you want to sign up for green energy in Austin, you may have to wait – Austin Energy has had such high demand, it’s looking for more suppliers. For Texans living outside of the municipality, go to the Power to Choose Web site, type in your ZIP code, and get impartial information about your green-energy choices.

This article appears in February 23 • 2007.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US

The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.