Latest news with #TexasEnergyCrossroads
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill adding regulations to Texas renewable energy misses key deadline
This story is supported by the Pulitzer Center and is part of the 'Texas Energy Crossroads' project, a partnership between The Hill and Nexstar Texas stations examining the oil and gas industry and the politics surrounding it following President Trump's second inauguration. AUSTIN (KXAN) – Legislation that would have added several layers of regulation to new wind and solar power facilities – rules opposed by renewable energy producers and environmentalists – missed a key deadline Saturday and is unlikely to pass this year. Senate Bill 819, authored by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, would require new utility-scale wind and solar plants to undergo Public Utility Commission approval and public notice. In addition, new wind turbines would have to be set back from neighboring property lines by twice the height of the turbine and blade unless a waiver was signed, according to the most recent version of the measure. EXPLORE: Texas Energy Crossroads The bill passed the Senate but the House State Affairs Committee didn't pass it by Saturday, the last day for House committees to report senate bills, according to legislative schedules. Kolkhorst described the new rules as necessary to 'help balance the need for these structures with the state's responsibility to protect nature.' At a Senate committee hearing on the bill in March, Kolkhorst said her bill was not about stopping renewable energy production, but she was critical of the environmental and visual impact of wind and solar and their intermittent electricity production. As political winds shift, Austin braces for renewable energy impact Kolkhorst filed similar legislation in 2023 that didn't pass. Back then, and now, the bill faced opposition from environmental groups, renewable energy producers and landowners profiting from wind and solar plants located mostly in rural counties. Jeff Clark, CEO of Advanced Power Alliance, said the bill would 'kill' the state's renewable energy industry. Clark, who previously gave KXAN a tour of a South Texas wind and solar farm, noted Texas leads the country in renewable power production. Wind and solar, he said, keep Texans' energy bills lower and reduce strain on the Texas grid during extreme summer heat and demand. Adrian Shelley, Texas director of consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, applauded the likely failure of Senate bill 819 as a 'victory' for Texas electricity ratepayers, and he described it as a recognition that 'renewable energy sources are an indispensable part of powering the state.' Kolkhorst did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate business committee considers renewable energy regulation bill
This story is supported by the Pulitzer Center and is part of the 'Texas Energy Crossroads' project, a partnership between The Hill and Nexstar Texas stations examining the oil and gas industry and the politics surrounding it following President Trump's second inauguration. AUSTIN (KXAN) – Senators on the Business and Commerce Committee will discuss Thursday the merits of a bill that could place additional fees, permitting rules and regulatory requirements on new utility-scale solar and wind generation projects in Texas. Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, authored Senate Bill 819. She has described the law as protection for landowners, the environment and 'the right thing to do for Texas.' Explore: Texas Energy Crossroads Kolkhorst filed similar legislation in 2023 without success. Critics of the measure back then said legislation would hamper the growth of renewables at a time when Texas is experiencing significant population and power demand growth. Texas is the nationwide leader in renewable energy production, according to federal and state data. At 2 p.m. on March 26, over half the energy generated in the state came from solar and wind power, records from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas show. From Kolkhorst's perspective, that's not necessarily a badge of honor. 'We're number one in wind, number one in solar; I'm not sure that's something to brag about,' she told KXAN in February. Kolkhorst's bill would require notice of applications and a public meeting on new wind and solar projects over 10 megawatts, which is enough to power about 2,500 homes during peak use, according to ERCOT. The law would also require Public Utility Commission permitting and environmental impact reviews by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Fees would be put in a 'renewable energy generation facility cleanup fund.' Wind turbines would have to be set back at least 3,000 feet from neighboring property lines, unless a neighbor agreed to a waiver. Solar arrays would need to be at least 100 feet from next-door property lines and 200 feet from habitable structures. The new permitting rules would not apply to projects existing before Sept. 1, 2025, unless they increased power output by 5 megawatts, or 'materially' changed the placement of the generation facilities, according to the bill. As political winds shift, Austin braces for renewable energy impact Nine additional senators have signed onto the bill as authors. All of them are Republicans except one, Juan 'Chuy' Hinojosa, a South Texas Democrat. Kolkhorst's latest renewable regulation bill comes at a time of keen focus on such projects by President Donald Trump. On his first day in office, Trump singled out wind power in an executive order that paused new leases for wind projects on federal lands and waters. Speaking at his inauguration, Trump stated 'we're not going to do the wind thing. Wind – big ugly windmills.' And, in February, Trump created a National Energy Dominance Council that would focus on expanding 'all forms of reliable and affordable energy production.' The executive order establishing the council lists nearly a dozen of the country's 'amazing national assets,' including oil, natural gas, uranium, coal, biofuels, flowing water, geothermal heat and more. Solar and wind didn't make the cut. Kolkhorst said she agrees with Trump's moratorium on new federal wind projects. As a senator with a district that stretches to the Texas coast, Kolkhorst said she doesn't want to 'see them out in our bays and estuaries, these big windmills.' Texas' leadership has fostered renewable energy production for decades. In 2010, former Gov. Rick Perry – who would later serve as U.S. Secretary of Energy in Trump's first term – touted Texas as the country's largest renewable producer and praised forward-thinking Texas legislation that paved the way for renewable energy to blossom. In April 2024, Gov. Abbott also championed the state's wind energy production as the overarching 'all-of-the-above energy strategy.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
