Latest news with #KenKing
Associated Press
a day ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Bill that gives Texas increased oversight of largest energy users wins Legislature's approval
A bill that gives Texas oversight over energy transactions between power generators and the state's largest consumers of electricity heads to Gov. Greg Abbott after the Texas Legislature agreed on changes Thursday. Senate Bill 6 also proposes new ways to assess the amount of electricity that is available to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the main manager of the state's grid, giving them the authority to shut off power to industrial consumers in an emergency. 'What we've done here today may become the model for the rest of the country,' said state Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, the bill's author. The bill would give ERCOT the power to oversee energy transactions between power generators and large consumers that don't involve the state's grid. ERCOT would also have the authority to cut their power and use it during an emergency. King has said his bill will allow the state to better manage electric supply at times of high demand. Power generators and companies said the new oversight measures proposed by the bill would be excessive for a market accustomed to the free trade of energy without requirements imposed by the state. They have said the bill could discourage companies from doing business in Texas. King said the new rules are not meant to do so. 'I think what this bill is seeking to do is set out clear rules where large load customers that want to come to Texas know what they're getting when they get here,' said state Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, who sponsored the bill in the lower chamber. The bill would also require companies to disclose whether they have other projects in the state. Sen. Phil King said this would give ERCOT information to better predict and meet energy demands in the future more accurately. That's necessary to determine the state's electricity needs without overbuilding, which would result in higher rates for everyday consumers, he said. Texas will need almost double the electricity it consumes today to meet a demand driven mainly by data centers and the oil and gas industry, a demand that ERCOT President Pablo Vegas said the grid, in its current state, is capable of meeting when that demand arrives. Lawmakers added and removed some provisions from the bill during a debate in the House on Monday. One amendment got rid of a previously accepted proposal by state Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, which gave new large businesses in Texas the option to get electricity faster from the grid if they let ERCOT reduce their power consumption at will. Another amendment approved Monday, introduced by state Rep. Richard Peña Raymond, D-Laredo, would inject any excess electricity back into the grid and use any money from selling that energy to lower water bills for electricity ratepayers. Dan Diorio, senior director of state policy at the Data Center Coalition, a national group, said they were receptive to the changes sent to the upper chamber. The Data Center Coalition 'is appreciative that changes made to Senate Bill 6 during the legislative process intend to balance the need to support economic development with efforts to ensure the continued stability of the Texas electricity grid,' Diorio said. ___ This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas Legislature OKs expansion of medical marijuana program as THC ban heads to Abbott
After days of contentious back-and-forth between the two Texas legislative chambers, the Senate late Tuesday night approved an expansion to the state's medical marijuana program. House Bill 46, by Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, will expand the Texas Compassionate Use Program fourfold, upping the number of available dispensary licenses from the current three to 12 statewide. It passed the Senate unanimously after the House and Senate struck a deal to include chronic pain, terminal disease and hospice care as qualifying conditions for a cannabis prescription. The expanded medical program also adds aerosol cannabis products like vapes, along with patches and lotions. More: As Texas weighs banning consumable hemp containing THC, Austin shop sees 'stock buying' The deal marks a détente between the House and Senate on the subject as a sweeping ban on THC products is on its way to the governor's desk. The Senate had stripped House provisions for chronic pain as a qualifying condition for the Compassionate Use Program, drawing fierce blowback from House members who later pushed for the condition to be reinstated. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the Senate want to ban intoxicating hemp products — which have been legal in Texas since 2019 — through Senate Bill 3, which was passed by both chambers in recent weeks. The House's version of the proposal instead called for increased regulation of THC product sales, but the upper chamber's version of the bill won the day. It's not yet clear if Gov. Greg Abbott plans to sign the bill. In a news conference Wednesday, during which Patrick displayed an array of THC products and sharply criticized members of the media for coverage of the THC ban and resulting inter-chamber conflict, the bill's author praised the TCUP expansion, which he said will still serve those who use THC medicinally while curbing dangerous hemp products. 'We promised on the front end, when we get rid of the bad stuff, we'll find a way to thread the needle for those that have found benefit,' said Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock. 'I think it's the relief we promised. … We're expanding the things that we believe are legitimate needs that can be met through a responsible delivery system.' This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Legislature OKs expansion of medical marijuana program, THC ban
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas House OKs bill to boost power grid protection, strengthen ERCOT's emergency authority
A proposal to grant regulators increased oversight of electric generation and transmission, along with equipping the state power grid's manager with tools to better forecast energy needs, passed the House on Tuesday. The legislation is now heading back to the Senate to review the lower chamber's changes to the bill. Senate Bill 6 is the Legislature's latest effort to reduce the risk of widespread outages during peak demand times by allowing the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the state power grid, to cut power to large-scale consumers during an emergency. That should encourage power-hungry operations like data centers to develop their own backup systems, said Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, who sponsored the bill in the House. "You certainly don't want large-load customers that sometimes are data-centered for military operations, or whatever, to just be without power when there's an emergency," King said during the floor debate. According to the bill analysis, SB 6 focuses on four main objectives: Ensuring that transmission costs are properly allocated. Establishing measures to protect grid reliability. Promoting transparency and credibility in load forecasting. Protecting residential customers from outages by requiring large loads to share the load-shed obligation during shortages. More: Renewables bailed out Texas' grid earlier this month. Now the GOP wants to restrict them In March, ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas told a congressional committee that Texas set an all-time peak demand record of 85,508 gigawatts in the summer of 2023 — a record he expects the state will break sooner than later because, in part, large-scale consumers are bringing their operations to the Lone Star State. "Texas has become a magnet for industries that require increasing amounts of electricity, from semiconductor plants to data centers, broad industrial growth and large-scale industrial electrification in the Permian Basin," Vegas told the House subcommittee on energy. Under the bill, ERCOT would be able to expedite connecting large consumers to the grid, provided they install on-site backup power sources. The House and Senate versions of SB 6 are different, so unless the Senate agrees with the House's changes, a conference committee will have to reconcile the two versions into a final bill. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas House OKs power grid-protection bill, boosts ERCOT's authority
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Texas GOP seeks to block legal challenges against abortion
Texas Republicans are rolling ahead with a controversial bill that seeks to further restrict abortion access in the state, while making it impossible for it to be challenged in state courts, despite Democratic objections. Senate Bill 2880 advanced through the state Senate and is now heading for a House vote, after being moved Friday out of the Committee on State Affairs, with its chair facing growing pressure ahead of a Saturday deadline. More than 40 House Republicans sent a letter to state Rep. Ken King, the chair, urging him to move the bill, while some held a last-minute press conference pushing for passage of the abortion bill and other conservative priorities. Republican state senators wrote in their own letter to King that existing laws were not enough to guard against abortions in the state, mainly due to the continued availability of medicated abortion. 'Texas is in crisis. The tremendous protections afforded to mothers and children by S.B. 8, the Heartbeat Bill (87R), and H.B. 1290, the Trigger Bill (87R), is subverted daily by bad actors who flood our state with dangerous and deadly abortion pills,' they wrote. 'This must end.' Texas is already among the most restrictive states on abortion. Laws enacted since Roe v. Wade was struck down have no exceptions for rape or incest, and physicians who violate the laws face potential fines and jail time. Women have died in the state because of the abortion law. Senate Bill 2880, if passed, would allow anyone who makes, distributes, prescribes or provides abortion medication or provides information on how a person can obtain an abortion-inducing drug to be sued for up to $100,000. 'It should worry every American,' said Texas state Sen. Nathan Johnson, one of the many Democrats sounding the alarm on the bill. 'It's absolutely an abomination from a lot of standpoints.' It's unclear if the bill will be passed during Texas's legislative session, which is slated to end June 2. Texas almost entirely banned abortion in 2021 after state lawmakers passed a bill prohibiting the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy, before most women know they are pregnant. Maternal mortality in Texas rose by 56 percent in the year following the passage of the six-week ban, according to the research and gender policy nonprofit the Gender Equity Policy Institute. The Lone Star State has since fought to further restrict abortion access, most notably by attempting to punish abortion providers who mail abortion medication to Texans from states where abortion is legal. Texas became the first state to sue an abortion provider in a state with an abortion shield law late last year. In December, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued New York doctor Margaret Carpenter for allegedly prescribing and mailing abortion medication via a telehealth service. Senate Bill 2880 is trying to take the state's near-total ban on abortion further. Under the bill, those who provide abortion medication are liable to wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits from family members of those who undergo abortions. 'From the abortion perspective, it's like a Russian doll of a bill,' said Texas state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt (D). It also allows for the attorney general to file lawsuits against abortion medication providers, prescribers or manufacturers on 'behalf of unborn children of residents of this state.' 'It's a very scary abortion bill, but it also sets a precedent that reaches far beyond abortion,' Eckhardt said. Beyond the clear restrictions on abortion, Democratic senators are worried over language in the bill that seeks to make it impossible to challenge it as unconstitutional in state court. Democratic lawmakers argue it's a clear attempt by Republican lawmakers to make the judiciary system powerless in the state. 'I think that's unprecedented,' said Mary Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis. 'It's crazy that the bill says it can't be challenged in court, and then it's also crazy that they don't even want it to be challenged in court … you have to [be] writing a bill that you're pretty darn sure is unconstitutional to not want the Texas courts to look at it.' Democratic lawmakers, like Eckhardt, and reproductive-rights advocates worry that even if the bill doesn't pass, it will inspire future similar legislation in Texas and elsewhere. 'Texas has often served as a sort of litmus test for anti-abortion extremists. The very same lawmaker that came up with Texas' vigilante law banning abortion is now attempting the same with medication abortion,' said Nimra Chowdhry, senior state legislative counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights. 'State officials are intent on trapping Texans and ending all abortion access in the state, no matter the cost to people's lives. And we could see more like-minded states attempt the same.' Republican state Sen. Bryan Hughes, the bill's author, did not respond to questions from The Hill about the bill. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
6 days ago
- Health
- The Hill
Texas GOP seeks to block legal challenges against abortion
Texas Republicans are rolling ahead with a controversial bill that seeks to further restrict abortion access in the state, while making it impossible for it to be challenged in state courts, despite Democratic objections. Senate Bill 2880 advanced through the state Senate and is now heading for a House vote, after being moved Friday out of the Committee on State Affairs, with its chair facing growing pressure ahead of a Saturday deadline. More than 40 House Republicans sent a letter to state Rep. Ken King, the chair, urging him to move the bill, while some held a last-minute press conference pushing for passage of the abortion bill and other conservative priorities. Republican state senators wrote in their own letter to King that existing laws were not enough to guard against abortions in the state, mainly due to the continued availability of medicated abortion. 'Texas is in crisis. The tremendous protections afforded to mothers and children by S.B. 8, the Heartbeat Bill (87R), and H.B. 1290, the Trigger Bill (87R), is subverted daily by bad actors who flood our state with dangerous and deadly abortion pills,' they wrote. 'This must end.' Texas is already among the most restrictive states on abortion. Laws enacted since Roe v. Wade was struck down have no exceptions for rape or incest, and physicians who violate the laws face potential fines and jail time. Women have died in the state because of the abortion law. Senate Bill 2880, if passed, would allow anyone who makes, distributes, prescribes or provides abortion medication or provides information on how a person can obtain an abortion-inducing drug to be sued for up to $100,000. 'It should worry every American,' said Texas state Sen. Nathan Johnson, one of the many Democrats sounding the alarm on the bill. 'It's absolutely an abomination from a lot of standpoints.' It's unclear if the bill will be passed during Texas's legislative session, which is slated to end June 2. Texas almost entirely banned abortion in 2021 after state lawmakers passed a bill prohibiting the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy, before most women know they are pregnant. Maternal mortality in Texas rose by 56 percent in the year following the passage of the six-week ban, according to the research and gender policy nonprofit the Gender Equity Policy Institute. The Lone Star State has since fought to further restrict abortion access, most notably by attempting to punish abortion providers who mail abortion medication to Texans from states where abortion is legal. Texas became the first state to sue an abortion provider in a state with an abortion shield law late last year. In December, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued New York doctor Margaret Carpenter for allegedly prescribing and mailing abortion medication via a telehealth service. Senate Bill 2880 is trying to take the state's near-total ban on abortion further. Under the bill, those who provide abortion medication are liable to wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits from family members of those who undergo abortions. 'From the abortion perspective, it's like a Russian doll of a bill,' said Texas state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt (D). It also allows for the attorney general to file lawsuits against abortion medication providers, prescribers or manufacturers on 'behalf of unborn children of residents of this state.' 'It's a very scary abortion bill, but it also sets a precedent that reaches far beyond abortion,' Eckhardt said. Beyond the clear restrictions on abortion, Democratic senators are worried over language in the bill that seeks to make it impossible to challenge it as unconstitutional in state court. Democratic lawmakers argue it's a clear attempt by Republican lawmakers to make the judiciary system powerless in the state. 'I think that's unprecedented,' said Mary Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis. 'It's crazy that the bill says it can't be challenged in court, and then it's also crazy that they don't even want it to be challenged in court … you have to [be] writing a bill that you're pretty darn sure is unconstitutional to not want the Texas courts to look at it.' Democratic lawmakers, like Eckhardt, and reproductive-rights advocates worry that even if the bill doesn't pass, it will inspire future similar legislation in Texas and elsewhere. 'Texas has often served as a sort of litmus test for anti-abortion extremists. The very same lawmaker that came up with Texas' vigilante law banning abortion is now attempting the same with medication abortion,' said Nimra Chowdhry, senior state legislative counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights. 'State officials are intent on trapping Texans and ending all abortion access in the state, no matter the cost to people's lives. And we could see more like-minded states attempt the same.' Republican state Sen. Bryan Hughes, the bill's author, did not respond to questions from The Hill about the bill.
