FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Contact: Jared Craighead 512-420-6958

Wayne Christian Pushed for a Renewable Energy Mandate In Stark Contrast to Campaign Rhetoric, Letter Surfaces Showing Wayne Christian Pushed for a Renewable Energy Mandate In Spite of His Inability to Pass Legislation HOUSTON Ryan Sitton, conservative Republican candidate for Railroad Commissioner, released a letter today demonstrating that Wayne Christian pushed for an inefficient renewable energy mandate, in spite of his inability to pass legislation, that would have increased consumers electric rates and the cost of goods sold by every Texas manufacturer. Christian claims to be a free-market conservative, but the letter makes clear that when he couldnt pass the subsidies and mandates he wanted for inefficient renewable energy in the legislature, he tried to pressure the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) to adopt his mandate. The PUCT refused this demand. The March 30, 2010 letter written by Christian to then PUCT Chairman Barry Smitherman states, In order to clarify that the intention of the legislature to create a mandatory target of 500 megawatts, rather than a voluntary one, I filed House Bill 1214 Although the bill did not pass, I believe it provided a clear indication that the will of the Legislature is to see 500 megawatts of non-wind renewable generation in place by 2015. Read the full letter here: http://www.ryansitton.com/wc_letter The Houston Chronicle detailed criticisms of Christians attempts in the legislature to secure subsidies for an East Texas renewable energy plant and mandates that its product be purchased as follows: Peggy Venable, state director of Americans for Prosperity, which promotes limited government, said bills like Christian's unnecessarily hit citizens in the pocketbook. "Frankly, we oppose the state subsidizing any energy generation," she said. "There is a market for energy, and when renewable energy becomes viable, then the market will demand it." The article also states, The lawmaker [Wayne Christian] acknowledges that he's asking the state to require more expensive power generation that consumers ultimately would have to pay for, irking some business groups. http://bit.ly/1i8DCtq Wayne Christians idea of energy development in our state is subsidizing companies to produce expensive energy and then mandating that energy be purchased, said Ryan Sitton. Wayne Christians Solyndra-like proposals wont lead Texas and America to energy independence. My plans for energy development in our state are rooted in the fundamental belief that the free-market should dictate how our energy is produced. Its sad that when Wayne Christian couldnt get his

pd pol ad Ryan Sitton Campaign www.RyanSitton.com

special interest subsidies and mandates passed in the legislature, that he tried to pressure the PUCT to adopt them. Texans need to know whether Christian still supports the subsidies and mandates hes pushed in the past, especially since hes running for a position that oversees energy development in our state. Im the only candidate for Railroad Commissioner with the experience and expertise to make energy independence a reality, concluded Sitton. Numerous articles were written about Christians efforts to pass the special interest subsidies and mandates. A few of the stories included these headlines and excerpts: Christian legislation may help Sacul biomass plant (The Daily Sentinel, Nacogdoches, February 28, 2007) http://bit.ly/1h5NXdY Christian's new bill clarifies the 2005 bill and mandates electric companies generate 500 MW of the state's energy through non-wind, renewable ways. Because most retail electric companies that provide electricity to homes - such as Entergy or TXU - do not own biomass plants, they would have to buy credits from companies such as Nacogdoches Power LLC. No incentives? No biomass plant. (The Daily Sentinel, Nacogdoches, May 10, 2007) http://bit.ly/1mw12AX The Texas Association of Manufacturers opposed Christians proposal saying the state government should not subsidize private for-profit biomass projects. Christian attempting last-ditch effort to save biomass bill (The Daily Sentinel, Nacogdoches, May 25, 2007) http://bit.ly/1nk5YJo When the legislature rejected Christians subsidies and mandates, he blamed corporate greed. A week earlier, Christian said he did not anticipate any more legislative obstacles. What went wrong? According to Christian's initial reaction this morning, it was corporate greed. Company wants to turn East Texas trash timber into electricity (Houston Chronicle, May 27, 2007) http://bit.ly/1i8DCtq In the last regular session, the Legislature committed to adding 5,000 megawatts of electric capacity fueled by renewables by Jan. 1, 2015, setting aside as a target 500 megawatts of nonwind power, enough to power about 400,000 homes. House Bill 1214, proposed by Rep. Wayne Christian, R-Center, turns the language into a mandate. Basically in a nutshell, we're turning a 'may' into a 'shall,'" said Christian, whose bill is getting support from some of the same tree huggers he blames for helping depress the region's timber industry in the first place. More information about the campaign is available at www.RyanSitton.com. ###

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