
Who We Are
With New Energy, James Cargas leverages decades of public service at the federal and municipal levels, as well as his many years in the private sector to bring smart, affordable, and measurable sustainability to New Energy’s clients in the private and public sectors.
“Sustainability is the art of becoming Lean & Green.”
James Cargas

About New Energy
With New Energy LLC, James Cargas leverages decades of public service at the federal and municipal levels, as well as his many years in the private sector to bring thoughtful and measurable sustainability to New Energy’s clients in the private and public sectors.
James Cargas worked with 3 mayors and 5 city attorneys to make the City of Houston the largest municipal purchaser of renewable energy in the Nation. This included negotiating a unique three-party solar power purchase agreement (PPA) for 50 megawatts (MW) for a solar plant in Alpine, Texas. He also aggressively negotiated retail renewable energy prices that were
below the average wholesale industrial price for fossil energy. At the same time, he facilitated millions of dollars of energy efficiency projects that significantly and permanently reduced energy consumption. The net result was a shrinking energy expenditures during a period when Houston was one of the fastest growing cities in America.
New Energy brings sustainability to governmental and commercial entities. Technological advances and mature power markets have made renewable energy affordable for everyone and every load. At the same time, the most affordable energy is the kilowatt hour (kWh) that is not consumed. Energy efficiency smartly deployed will quickly return multiples of your
investment. New Energy examines your power usage patterns and implements resilient solutions that balance affordable supply with energy demands.
New Energy’s holistic approach will reduce your carbon footprint, increase profitability, and make you Lean & Green.
About James
James Cargas is the Senior Assistant City Attorney for Energy at the City of Houston, a position he has held since 2008 when Mayor Bill White hired him as the City’s energy counsel responsible for all aspects of energy as well as environmental, real estate and regulatory matters. He held the same position under Mayor Annise Parker where he negotiated an innovative three-party twenty-year solar power purchase agreement for 30 megawatts. Today, he works for Mayor Sylvester Turner, and is proud to be part of the team earning Houston the #8 spot on EPA’s top 100 list of green power users and implementing a wide variety of energy efficiency projects.
Mr. Cargas first worked in the U.S. Congress as a Capitol Hill intern. Then in 1988, after graduating from the University of Michigan, he returned to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Press Secretary to Michigan Democrat, Rep. David E. Bonior.
In 1992, Mr. Cargas graduated from The American University’s Washington College of Law where he served as President of the Environmental Law Society. During law school, he worked for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in the Solicitor’s Office. In summer of 1992, he participated in the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit) in Rio de Janeiro.
Mr. Cargas has held positions in a large DC law firm and as environmental counsel to a major interstate pipeline company. He is admitted to practice law in Texas, Washington DC, Michigan and West Virginia.
Mr. Cargas left the private sector in 1998 and joined the Clinton-Gore White House at the President’s Council on Sustainable Development. He finished out the Administration working for Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson at the U.S. Department of Energy. When Bill Richardson returned to New Mexico to become Governor, Mr. Cargas permanently moved to the nation’s Energy Capital to become Deputy Director of the North American Energy Standards Board.
My LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamescargas

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