Disappointing but not surprising – Republicans never really believed in Free Markets, Property Rights, or Business. It’s always been about maximizing power for their donors.
Problem is, as many have pointed out, that ideology is killing the United States economy, and a prime example is playing out in Texas, which has for a decade been a giant flashing advertisement for the overwhelming competitiveness of clean energy.
Texas Leg gonna put a stop to that right quick.
..the Republican-controlled State Senate in Texas has passed — and the State House is currently considering — several regulatory bills to curtail solar and wind projects in favor of new natural gas plants. Long the party of limited regulation and free markets, Republicans are now seeking to impose new rules on how electricity should be produced.
“That’s the choice these lawmakers have to make: ideology or pragmatism,” said Doug Lewin, an energy consultant who writes a newsletter focused on the Texas electricity grid. “Do you hate renewables so much that you’re willing to take out the Texas economy with it?”
Proponents of the new bills say the goal is practical — to increase reliability and balance the effects of federal subsidies for renewable power.
Representative Jared Patterson, a Republican from suburban Dallas, called it leveling “the playing field,” as he lamented the “multiple advantages in the market” enjoyed by renewable energy, at least for now. He has sponsored a bill that would force wind and solar companies to pay for backup power.
In Texas, the effort comes at a potentially challenging time for the power grid. Energy-intensive businesses, including new manufacturing plants and massive data centers for artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies, have been flocking to the state in part because of its plentiful and relatively cheap power.
At the same time, a warming planet has generated record summer heat and added to that power demand. A heat wave this week was expected to shatter previous electricity demand records for May.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, the state’s grid manager, forecasts demand for power to possibly double within five years. Bills restricting renewable energy sources would compound existing risks, Pablo Vegas, the chief executive of ERCOT, said this month.
But the fight over energy in the United States has become increasingly ideological. Mr. Trump has supported cutting renewable energy tax credits, and taken steps to block new wind projects. Seventeen states, led by New York, have sued in response. Texas was not among them.
In Oklahoma, where companies have announced plans to invest $2 billion in wind, solar and battery projects since 2022, anti-renewable Republican legislators and the state’s attorney general are squaring off against Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican who considers himself pro-business.
“If I tried to limit wind energy and say, ‘Oh, I don’t want the wind energy to happen,’ am I not doing the same thing that they’re doing in California by trying to limit fossil fuels?” Mr. Stitt asked in an interview. “You either believe in a free market, or you don’t, right?”
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But energy experts caution that new natural gas plants face a global backlog on orders of gas turbines. Any new gas projects that aren’t already under development are unlikely to come online before 2030, said John Ketchum, the chief executive of NextEra Energy, one of the country’s largest power producers.
Nearly 91 percent of the electric capacity in line to connect to the grid over the next six years are solar, wind or battery plants, according to ERCOT data. Only about 8 percent are new gas plants.
Even with a state-created fund to subsidize new natural gas-fired power plants, seven of the 17 gas power projects deemed eligible last year for low-interest loans are no longer moving forward.
“Gas turbines are difficult to get,” said Rob Minter, senior vice president for government and regulatory affairs at Engie North America, which builds both renewable and gas-fired power plants. In February, the company withdrew two applications to build subsidized gas plants through the Texas fund, citing delays in procuring equipment.
“So that leaves renewables,” he added, “and we have the ability to put those on the ground in a couple years, not five or 10.”
That message has not swayed the Legislature. The Texas House could soon vote on a bill to require existing wind and solar generators to obtain backup power to supplement the hours when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. The State Senate has already passed it.
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Ed Hirs, an economist and energy fellow at the University of Houston, said the state does need more natural gas capacity to run during emergencies. But he does not believe the solution is to restrict renewable energy.
“Without that growth of renewables,” he said, “the Texas grid is dead in the water, and so is the economy.”
The Texas lege has been suckling off the oil&gas industry for decades. To me, it’s just as likely they’re jabbing the RE bidnizes for not bribing them enough.