The Texas Senate has approved Senate Bill 988, a legislative measure spearheaded by Senator Paul Bettencourt from Houston, aiming to combat organized fuel theft rings across the state. In a recent session, the bill achieved significant bipartisan support, passing with a 29-2 vote.
Senate Bill 988 was initially introduced by the Dallas District Attorney’s office, which has been tackling these criminal activities since 2021. The bill previously garnered nearly unanimous approval from the Texas Legislature in 2023 but failed to be enacted after the governor did not sign it post the 88th Regular Session.
Organized criminal groups have targeted gas pump technologies, particularly by damaging “pulsers,” the devices responsible for regulating gasoline flow. This tampering allows significant amounts of fuel—sometimes thousands of gallons—to be stolen unnoticed, resulting in considerable financial losses for gas station owners and undermining law enforcement efforts.
Senator Bettencourt emphasized the need for stronger legal measures to address these organized thefts, stating, “SB 988 gives our law enforcement and prosecutors the tools they need to stop these organized fuel theft rings. Just one tanker truck load could cost $35k in stolen fuel, plus the ‘gang’ then ‘sells’ the gas on the grey market.”
Under the current legal framework, damage to a pulser has been treated as misdemeanor criminal mischief due to the minor nature of repair costs, despite the extensive losses from fuel theft. SB 988 seeks to close this loophole by categorizing the impairment or destruction of a fuel pump or electric vehicle charging station as a third-degree felony.
Senator Bettencourt added, “Fuel theft is not petty crime—it’s organized, coordinated, and costly. In the two years since this bill nearly passed unanimously, we now took testimony that these organized crime rings are buying these pulser disrupters online for $200 apiece, meaning this indeed is organized crime at a large scale.”
The bill has also been amended to include a formal definition of “retail motor fuel pump” and “electric vehicle charging station,” thanks to an amendment by Senator Joan Huffman. She noted, "Hey Elon Musk, great news from the Texas Senate! I amended Senator Bettencourt’s SB 988 to include electric vehicle charging stations alongside retail motor fuel pumps under Texas’s criminal mischief penalties.”
Having cleared the Senate for the second time, SB 988 now moves to the Texas House for consideration, carrying an increased sense of urgency. If passed, the bill is set to become effective on September 1, 2025.
