The editorial "Focus 2007: Global, national, area issues demanding attention" (Dec. 31) listed energy policy as one of five issues that have priority this year. The editorial called for an emphasis on conservation and alternative energy sources, including renewable forms such as solar, wind, biomass and geothermal.

Cap-and-trade is an environmentally sound program that significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions. If TXU honors its promise to reduce its allowed emissions by bringing online more efficient power plants and closing older plants, it will be doing its part under cap-and-trade to make Texas air cleaner.

Reality dictates that Texas is going to need new coal-fired power plants such as the 11 units that Dallas-based TXU is proposing to build. And the state will need them sooner rather than later to ensure a reliable electricity supply that isn't vulnerable to frequent interruptions.

As Congress moves to curb industrial pollution linked to global warming, top executives at TXU Corp. are trying to persuade federal lawmakers to support the company's plans to build 11 coal-fired power plants in East and Central Texas.

Instead of just regular, plus, and premium, gas stations in a few years may well be offering fuel made from corn, soybeans, and plant fiber. And new cars would be engineered to run on them.

Texas accounted for nearly a third of the new wind power installed in 2006. The top five states in new installations, measured in megawatts, were Texas (774), Washington (428), California (212), New York (185) and Minnesota (150).

Washington this week officially welcomed the newest industry on the hunt for financial and regulatory favors. Big CarbonCap may have the same dollar-sign agenda as Big Oil or Big Pharma, but don't expect Nancy Pelosi to admit to it.

he state's much-touted total deregulation of electric utilities leaves millions of Texas households exactly where they were before - with only one utility company and one rate to choose from.

Nearly half of the street lights in the City of Dallas will soon be lit by renewable “green power,” city officials announced today. The action is a first for Dallas, and part of the city’s efforts to meet future environmental challenges.

From Amarillo feed lots to Gulf Coast salt domes to Dallas gas pumps, President Bush's fuel-savings plans could shift the economics and driving habits of millions of Texans.