- Texas’ legislature is getting ready to pass several bills that would make it harder to build or invest in renewable power projects in the state.
- The legislation under consideration would be costly to consumers and do little to improve grid reliability.
- The bills are also anti free market and will effectively allow the government to pick energy winners and losers.
- Texas’ legislature should reject these proposals and continue its tradition of open and competitive markets to drive reliability, affordability, and innovation.
“The renewable-energy boom in Texas was shaped by some of the characteristics that define the state itself—wide-open spaces, regulatory permissiveness and a fiercely competitive electricity market unlike any other in the country. An overhaul of the state’s power market approved in 1999 under then-Gov. George W. Bush set the stage for the renewable frenzy. Deregulation broke up the functions of monopoly utilities and introduced competitive auctions for wholesale power. Part of the plan included adding at least 2,000 megawatts of renewable generating capacity by 2009. Texas blew past that goal, set another and surpassed it too.”
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The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
