Latest news with #HouseBill14
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How a $350M nuclear power proposal could transform Texas' energy landscape
A sweeping proposal to provide up to $350 million to private companies to help them build advanced nuclear power generation plants in Texas is one step away from reaching Gov. Greg Abbott's desk after the House author said Thursday that he expects the chamber to accept tweaks made by the Senate. "Yessir," state Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine, told the American-Statesman in a text message response to a question about whether he'll recommend sending the Senate's version of the bill to the governor. Abbott signaled early in the legislative session that he looks forward to signing such a measure into law. House Bill 14, by Harris and sponsored in the Senate by Georgetown Republican Sen. Charles Schwertner, would establish the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office and the Advanced Nuclear Development Fund under the governor's office. The new agency and funding arm would assess the need for additional nuclear generation or explore ways to promote future plant construction. The bill sets up guidelines and benchmarks for companies planning to develop nuclear plants to help meet Texas' seemingly insatiable appetite for electric power, and it makes available public financial assistance for both planning and constructing power plants. "Advancements in nuclear energy offer a promising opportunity to strengthen our electric grid with reliable, dispatchable generation while supporting the growth of this innovative industry," Schwertner said as he explained the Senate version of HB 14. Both chambers passed the bill with bipartisan support, though there was some skepticism expressed about the funding provisions. "Would it not make more sense to maybe do a revolving loan so that they (power companies) would pay them back and we could re-enter and save more money into the system and encourage more nuclear development?" state Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, asked Schwertner. The proposed grant system would be a more persuasive tool, Schwertner responded. Plus, he added, the legislation contains payback provisions if companies do not deliver what they promised. "They do have risk," he said. Under HB 14, the state Public Utility Commission will develop a framework to tie grant amounts to the amount of electric generation a project would produce. In his State of the State address shortly after the Legislature convened in January, Abbott called for a "nuclear renaissance" in Texas to ensure that the rapidly growing state can meet the demand for power that comes with not only adding to its population, but also attracting more commercial and industrial development. Texas is home to two nuclear power plants, but both are aging. The Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant's first phase was completed in 1990 after several delays and setbacks since construction began in 1974. The second phase of the plant, which is about 60 miles southwest of Fort Worth, went online in 1993. The South Texas Project in Matagorda County, about 90 miles south of Houston, began operations in 1988. More: Why Texas A&M University wants state-of-the-art nuclear power plants on its campus As of last year, there were 54 commercially operating nuclear power plants with 94 nuclear power reactors in 28 states, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Illinois has 11 reactors, the most of any state. The nation's largest nuclear power source, the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Georgia, has four reactors. The average age of all U.S. nuclear plants is around 42. Reed Clay, president of the Texas Nuclear Alliance, called the legislation "a giant leap forward for our state and our country." He predicted it would revive an industry that "was all but dead for decades." "With the passage of H.B. 14 and associated legislation, Texas is positioned to lead a nuclear renaissance that is now rightly seen as imperative for the energy security and national security of the United States," Clay said in a statement to the Statesman. Meanwhile, Texas A&M University's research-focused RELLIS campus near the system's flagship institution is working to develop a nuclear generation project just a fraction of the size of traditional nuclear plants like those in Comanche Peak, and the South Texas Project. The university's permit is awaiting approval from the NRC. Also, Natura Resources is seeking federal approval for a nuclear plant in Abilene. The first small modular reactor in Texas will be located on Dow's Seadrift plant just north of San Antonio Bay near Victoria. Dow is partnering with the company X-energy on the project that was bolstered by an initial $80 million grant from the U.S. Energy Department. The formal permit application was filed with the NRC in March. Called "small modular reactors," the newer-generation plants are a fraction of the size and can be manufactured offsite, trucked to their permanent locations and buried underground, which proponents say is both safer and better protects them from being targeted by terrorists or other hostile forces. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas lawmakers near nuclear bill passage. How it'll help power grid.
Associated Press
15-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Provident Data Centers Joins Texas Nuclear Alliance as Founding Member
Austin, TX May 15, 2025 --( )-- The Texas Nuclear Alliance (TNA) proudly welcomes Provident Data Centers, a private real estate and investment firm managing over 50 data facilities and +6 GW of planned and committed capacity nationwide, as a Founding Member at the Corporate Board Level. 'Provident is leading the way in developing the data centers our always-advancing society need, and nuclear energy offers a reliable, safe, carbon-free power source to meet the industry's energy demands,' said TNA President Reed Clay. 'We can expect the data center and nuclear energy industries to continue working together as our state, nation and world demands more of both.' 'Provident Data Centers was founded in Texas, built in Texas, and is proud to help power Texas into its next chapter. As the first and currently only data center developer to join the Texas Nuclear Alliance's governing board, we fully support Governor Abbott's vision for Texas to lead the nation in AI and energy reliability. We believe safe, firm, carbon-free nuclear energy is foundational to achieving these goals,' said Jack Backes, Principal Strategist for Provident Data Centers. 'We're hopeful the Texas Senate will pass House Bill 14 to establish a state nuclear office and unlock vital funding for the first wave of nuclear construction and supply chain development in decades. Visionary leadership backed by intelligent, long-term investment is exactly what this moment demands. With 40 years of development experience in Texas, Provident is investing in next-generation energy ecosystems —including organizations like the Texas Nuclear Alliance — that strengthen grid stability, support statewide data center infrastructure, and help power Texas' industrial growth,' Backes continued. About Provident Data Centers Provident Data Centers, headquartered in Dallas, TX is a community-driven data center developer dedicated to building 'win-win' partnerships with clients and communities. As a division of Provident, a privately held leading real estate and investment firm, Provident Data Centers brings over three decades of real estate development experience to create cutting-edge data centers for enterprise, hyperscale, and telecom clients. This expertise currently spans six states, with over 50 buildings delivering more than +6 GW of planned and committed power. Provident Data Centers streamlines the development process by managing site selection, land acquisition, design and construction, and infrastructure build-out. This comprehensive approach ensures smooth project execution, minimizes risks, and delivers positive outcomes for all stakeholders. With vast industry knowledge, Provident Data Centers brings a transparent approach and continues to focus on innovative, efficient, and scalable solutions for an evolving digital landscape. To learn more, visit and follow on LinkedIn. About the Texas Nuclear Alliance TNA is the only industry association in Texas dedicated to the advancement of nuclear technology in the state. TNA was formed with a singular mission: to make Texas the Nuclear Capital of the World. Formed in 2022 in the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri, TNA is based on the fundamental premise that if Texas and the world want low-carbon, reliable energy, it can no longer turn its back on nuclear energy. Nuclear is clean, safe, reliable, and secure. Contact Information: Texas Nuclear Alliance Lauren Clay 512-567-7604 Contact via Email Read the full story here: Provident Data Centers Joins Texas Nuclear Alliance as Founding Member Press Release Distributed by
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas House bill would create state nuclear office, funding program
This story was originally published on Utility Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Utility Dive newsletter. Legislation the Texas House of Representatives passed on a bipartisan basis on Tuesday could position the Lone Star State as a national leader on advanced nuclear energy, industry advocates said Wednesday. House Bill 14 would establish a state office to promote advanced nuclear supply chain and power generation projects in Texas and create a fund to provide grants of up to $200 million for eligible nuclear construction projects. The bill heads to the Texas Senate with about six weeks to go in the 2025 regular legislative session. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas added 43 GW to its five-year load growth forecast last year, or more than one-third of an expected 128 GW of U.S. load growth through 2029, Grid Strategies said in December. New data centers (18 GW), cryptocurrency mines (6 GW), hydrogen production (5.8 GW), other industrial facilities (5.7 GW) and oil and gas facilities (2.8 GW) will drive the bulk of the expected load growth through 2029, ERCOT said earlier this month in an updated forecast. On Thursday, the Public Utilities Commission of Texas approved three 765-kV transmission lines — the state's first — to reduce congestion in the rapidly-electrifying Permian Basin oil patch. 'As Texas considers its energy future, the time has come to invest in nuclear power — an energy source capable of ensuring grid reliability, economic opportunity, and energy and national security,' Texas Nuclear Association President Reed Clay said in a statement Wednesday. Advanced nuclear firms have already proposed or begun developing projects in Texas. The farthest along is Natura Resources' 1-MW, molten salt-cooled thermal research reactor under construction since late last year at Abilene Christian University. In February, Texas A&M University invited Aalo Atomics, Kairos Power, Natura and Terrestrial Energy to build reactors on its RELLIS campus near College Station, according to the American Nuclear Society. Natura subsequently announced plans to build two 100-MWe reactors in College Station and the Permian Basin. Also in February, Last Energy said it would deploy up to 600 MW of microreactor capacity to serve data center customers in ERCOT. And in March, Dow Chemical and advanced nuclear developer X-energy submitted a construction permit application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, advancing plans for a four-reactor, 320-MWe power plant to replace existing fossil-fired generation at Dow's Seadrift, Texas petrochemical plant. That project awaits a final investment decision by Dow, the companies said last month. H.B. 14 would authorize a grantmaking account, known as the Texas Advanced Nuclear Development Fund, that could help get larger projects like Seadrift off the ground. The fund would reimburse expenses directly related to advanced nuclear reactor construction, including license application costs and procurement of long-lead equipment, up to the lesser of $200 million or 50% of the expense. It would also reimburse a range of expenses for initial project and supply chain development, such as site planning, front-end engineering and fuel fabrication, up to the lesser of 50% or $12.5 million. H.B. 14 also establishes the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office within the Texas governor's office to set statewide nuclear strategy, develop a homegrown advanced nuclear supply chain, attract advanced nuclear developers to Texas and facilitate nuclear project permitting through a newly-created 'nuclear permitting coordinator' position, among other responsibilities. The nuclear development fund, nuclear energy office and nuclear permitting coordinator affirm recommendations made in November by the Texas Advanced Nuclear Reactor Working Group, overseen by the PUC. Though Gov. Greg Abbott, R, has not yet commented publicly on H.B. 14, he has consistently championed the state's nuclear industry, saying in November that 'we are ready to be No. 1 in advanced nuclear power.' Recommended Reading Texas report recommends low-interest loans for advanced nuclear, similar to gas plant fund
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Modular nuclear reactors are a terrible idea. Don't spend Texans' money on them
Salesmen of 'new advanced' nuclear reactors are overrunning the state Capitol, selling the fantasy that Texas will become the leader in building a new generation of small, cheaper reactors if we invest a lot of taxpayer money now. There are significant problems with this plan: 1. Nuclear power radiation can cause cancers, birth defects and deaths. 2. After 70 years of searching, the country still has no permanent repository for nuclear waste. 3. Many proposed reactor designs don't have containment vessels or buildings to protect people from deadly radiation. 4. Some proposed reactor designs were rejected because of economics and technical failures in the 1950s. 5. Several modular reactor proposals around the world, including one planned in Utah, have been abandoned due to cost or safety concerns. In 2023, only three were in operation — in Russia, China and India. In the early 1980s, Texans were assured that building nuclear power plants would result in lower electricity costs compared to other sources. Although the plants were constructed, that promise turned out to be false. Texas' nuclear reactors were completed years behind schedule, with costs soaring five-fold for the South Texas Project Electric Generating Station near Bay City and 11 times for the Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant, which took 19 years to complete near Fort Worth. Many Texas ratepayers still bear the burden of those cost overruns in their utility bills. In the early 2000s, the nuclear folks were back, promising cheap, non-carbon-emitting energy from additional nuclear plants. The so-called Nuclear Renaissance led with proposed reactors in Texas, but some utility customers were stuck with the bill from utilities merely considering the expansions. Today, nuclear plant salesmen are asking the state for $2 billion of your tax dollars. Legislation filed this session, House Bill 14, would provide developers of so-called advanced nuclear reactors with grants of up to $200 million in state funds, which could be used to reimburse wealthy investors. The proposed subsidized reactors are intended for industry and large data centers, not for everyday people like you and me. The bill creates a policy that prioritizes nuclear power over safe, proven and affordable technologies like wind, solar and batteries. Control over nuclear grant funding would rest with the governor, offering little assurance that it would be used to benefit Texans. Nuclear developers might be reimbursed for expenditures made years ago, receiving up to $200 million for each reactor, regardless of how limited its intended use Is. Even worse, completed reactors could receive additional tax dollars based on their electricity-generating capacity, even though the bill does not mandate their connection to the grid. To push this vision, nuclear interests have recruited large industries, the governor and major universities. Together, they designed a permitting process that would grease the skids and not protect the public's health and safety. And they plan to stick us with the bill. New modular reactors are a terrible, expensive idea that should be halted. But if new reactors are built, there must be guidelines: • All new reactors must have adequate decommissioning funds to remove and dispose of nuclear waste and clean up contamination. • Additional nuclear plants should not be permitted until a national underground permanent nuclear waste repository is in place. • Local first responders must be adequately trained, funded and equipped to respond to an accident involving nuclear reactors and radiation releases. Evacuation plans must be developed. • Containment structures should be required to isolate radioactive materials and limit radiation releases from accidents or leaks. • The Public Utility Commission of Texas should be required to conduct biannual reviews comparing the costs of advanced nuclear reactors to other types of generation and cancel grants for projects with out-of-control costs. Corporations don't build these reactors with their own money for several reasons: They cost too much, take too long, do too little and are too risky. Legislators can't get fooled again. Now that the Texas House has approved this bill, Texans should call their state senators and demand they stop the new nuclear boondoggle of HB 14 in its tracks. Tom 'Smitty' Smith is the retired director of Public Citizen's Texas office. As a consumer advocate who worked primarily before the Public Utility Commission, he's had a front-row seat to the debates about nuclear energy and ratepayer bill increases for over 40 years. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Don't put Texans' tax dollars toward risky nuclear reactors | Opinion
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Mexico governor vetoes tax package, again slams lawmakers
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham used the power of her pen Friday morning to veto 16 pieces of legislation, including a key tax package that would have extended relief to an estimated 100,000 middle-income New Mexicans. She issued a veto message tearing into the Democrat-controlled Legislature for waiting until the final days of the session to pass the tax measure. The two-term Democratic governor also laid bare her ongoing frustration with state lawmakers on the public safety front as she rejected a series of proposals to add new specialty license plates to the state's list. 'In a session where the Legislature found time to pass three separate license plate bills and designate an official state bread, it is deeply disappointing that they waited until the final days — indeed, the final hours — of the 2025 legislative session to set up a tax package,' the governor wrote in a veto message for House Bill 14. 'Even more troubling is the fact that what ultimately emerged lacked both strategic coherence and fiscal credibility,' she added. Lujan Grisham has signed more than 150 of the 195 bills the Legislature passed in the session that ended last month. The flurry of vetos Friday brings her total number of vetoes to 18 bills, according to the secretary of state's website. A couple of dozen bills the governor hadn't signed or vetoed by Friday evening likely would be 'pocket vetoed,' or vetoed by default due to lack of action. One significant bill the governor had not signed as of 5 p.m. Friday would have authorized the New Mexico Public Education Department to enter into compacts with tribes to create language and culture-based institutions. Promoted by tribal leaders and Indigenous advocates, Senate Bill 13 would have made the proposed state-tribal compact schools eligible for state public school funding. 'Last-minute' tax package Heavily debated by lawmakers, HB 14 would have created an Earned Income Tax Credit, replacing the state's current Working Families Tax Credit with higher income thresholds for single workers and families. It also would have provided tax credits for foster parents and a gross receipts tax deduction for health care providers, and would have increased the state's liquor excise tax by 20%. The tax package was moved to the governor's desk near the end of the 60-day session. 'New Mexicans deserve thoughtful, forward-looking policy — not last-minute dealmaking that delays relief, ignores economic opportunity, and undermines fiscal responsibility,' Lujan Grisham wrote in her veto message. After 36 hours of disagreement after the tax measure passed both chambers, the House and Senate finally agreed to nix a proposed 0.28% 'oil and gas equalization surtax' to pay for the tax credit as well as some additional tax credits proposed by the Senate. Instead, they opted for the liquor tax hike. The chair of the House Taxation and Revenue Committee, Rep. Derrick Lente, D-Sandia Pueblo, disputed the governor's rationale for the veto. 'I stand 100% behind the package. ... In regards to the comments made by the governor that it was not 'thoughtful, forward-looking policy,' I don't think that's correct,' Lente said, noting he strongly believed in a part of the tax package that would have eliminated the personal income tax for workers earning minimum wage and some families. 'Those initiatives were months in the making,' Lente said. Lujan Grisham highlighted in her blistering veto message how many of the changes outlined the tax package would not have taken effect until 2027. She wrote she believed this was because there was 'no plan and no preparation' for how to pay for the tax relief. The Legislature delayed tax relief for working families 'despite the state sitting on more than $3 billion in one-time revenues and over 30% in reserves,' she wrote. 'This is not prudence — it is paralysis.' Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, said he agreed with the governor's decision to veto the measure. 'The package bound future legislators, which you cannot do,' Muñoz said. 'You can't say, 'I'll give you tax relief based on future income,' because we don't know what that is.' Other prominent members of the Legislature expressed disappointment, however. 'I am disappointed with the veto because tax packages are hard to craft and necessarily involve lots of compromise,' Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, said in a statement. 'The one positive is the bill had an effective date of 2027, meaning we can use it as a framework for legislation in the 2026 session, assuming we can find the money to pay for it.' Lente said initiatives in the tax bill 'were to do exactly the thing she said they don't do in her message.' No 'lowrider capital' plate Sen. Leo Jaramillo, D-Española, expressed deep disappointment in the governor's veto Friday of Senate Bill 327, which would have created a new 'lowrider capital' license plate. The legislation he co-sponsored amounted to much more than a 'license plate bill' — as the governor called it — in his community, one long known for its vibrant lowrider scene, he said. 'Mostly, when we tell people we are from Española, people find it appropriate to ask us if we want to hear an Española joke, and we don't,' Jaramillo said. 'This bill would have made sure that it shined a light on the [Española] Valley, and it would have given us a win that we need, that we deserve, and it would have been amazing to see that license plate.' In her veto message for SB 327, the governor criticized the Legislature for that bill and another designating a state bread, while public safety bills she backed didn't reach her desk. 'Yet, in the final hours of the session, and in the wake of a mass shooting in Las Cruces that went unacknowledged by House leadership, the House found time to debate the merits of a state bread,' Lujan Grisham wrote. The message also cites a failed bill that would have prohibited synthetic cannabinoids and semisynthetic cannabinoids by banning possession, marketing and sales of delta-8, delta-10 and THC-O acetate in New Mexico. 'And the Legislature found time to pass not one, not two, but three separate license plate bills, despite already having 40 specialty plates on the books,' the governor wrote. Visibly frustrated by what she called a lack of public safety legislation that passed, Lujan Grisham warned lawmakers in a news conference last month to expect a special session to complete the task. She has not yet set a date for such a session. Camille Ward, a spokesperson for House Democrats, pointed Friday to an omnibus public safety package the Legislature pushed through this session, which reforms criminal competency laws and cracks down on shooting threats, fentanyl trafficking and drunken driving, as well as a measure expanding the list of offenses that constitute racketeering and another that creates a 'Turquoise Alert' for when Native Americans go missing in the state. Proposed new park axed Lujan Grisham also vetoed a bill that would have created a new state park near Las Cruces — Slot Canyons Riverlands State Park — arguing existing parks are understaffed and 'undermaintained.' An additional state park would further strain resources, she contended. The Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project, a Las Cruces-based nonprofit that advocates for environmental conservation and 'social equity,' lamented the move from the governor. About 35 state parks are scattered across New Mexico. 'At a time when our public lands are under attack by the federal government, the state should be doing more, not less, to increase access to the outdoors,' Àngel Peña, executive director of Nuestra Tierra, said in a statement. 'State parks and public lands offer New Mexico families the opportunity to enjoy outdoor spaces at low or no cost, and it's a shame the governor chose to block this new park that our community advocated so hard for,' the statement continued.
