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RENEWABLE ENERGY How one Texas town turned away from fossil fuel

From Simon Morrison

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Although well known for its oil and gas industry, Texas is now turning away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy sources. Taft in San Patricio County is one city where wind energy has provided new opportunities and given locals hope for a better future.

The Papalote Wind Farm has brought prosperity and opportunity to Taft.
The Papalote Wind Farm has brought prosperity and opportunity to Taft.
(Source: Rawf8 - stock.adobe.com)

The state of Texas has long been associated with the oil industry. Affectionately known as ‘Black Gold’ and ‘Texas Tea’, oil has been a major part of the economy and the culture of the Lone Star state for over half a century.

The Texan oil boom first began in 1901 when a major oil deposit was discovered in the township of Spindletop, near the city of Beaumont. By the 1940s, Texas was producing more oil than any other state in the US. The Texas oil industry went on to weather the worldwide oil crisis of the 1970s before hitting its peak in the 1980s. Despite recent declines in prices, the oil industry has continued to play a major part in the state’s economy.