As the Texas Legislature prepares for its upcoming session beginning January 14, lawmakers have already begun filing bills focused on energy, particularly renewable energy.
Several proposed bills aim to address concerns related to the growth of renewable energy generation. Rep. Jared Patterson (R) has introduced HB 543, which would require permits for new renewable generation facilities. The bill mandates setbacks of 1,000 feet from habitable structures and 500 feet from property lines. It would also require an environmental impact statement from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Patterson also filed HB 560, which would require certain wind generation facilities to install technology to mitigate light pollution. This provision would apply only to new or repowered wind generation facilities that begin operations after December 31, 2026.
In addition, two other bills focus on regulating energy storage facilities, or battery storage systems. Rep. Wes Virdell’s (R) HB 1378 would allow cities to prohibit the installation of energy storage facilities within 500 yards of properties not owned by the facility’s owner or operator.
Similarly, Rep. Ellen Troxclair (R) has filed HB 1343, which requires companies to obtain a permit from the Public Utility Commission of Texas before building energy storage facilities.
Bill Peacock, policy director of the Energy Alliance, argues that these bills do not address the core issue of renewable energy’s impact on the Texas grid.
“Renewable energy is taking over the Texas grid, at a cost to Texans of $10 billion a year,” Peacock said. “These bills nibble around the edge of the problem. What is needed is a frontal assault [that] shuts down new generation and requires existing renewable generators to pay for the costs they are imposing on the grid.”
While much of the proposed legislation focuses on renewable energy, not all of it does. Rep. Jon Rosenthal (D) has filed HB 575, which would impose stricter regulations and penalties on operators of natural gas supply chain facilities that provide fuel for gas-fired generation plants.
Rosenthal also introduced HB 613, which would allow companies that transmit and distribute electricity to access transmission services from outside the ERCOT power region. This bill would connect the ERCOT grid, which serves about 90% of Texas, to other national grids, potentially subjecting it to federal regulation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Peacock is critical of this proposal, noting that Texas has long sought to avoid federal regulation of its grid. “The main reason some want to connect Texas to the national grid is to force more renewable energy into Texas,” he said.
Additionally, Rep. Chris Turner has introduced HB 1230, which would require oil and gas well drilling permit applications to disclose if the well is within 1,500 feet of a school or childcare facility. If so, the Texas Railroad Commission would be required to hold a public hearing for public comments on the application.
