Bill Sponsors / Authors:

  Rep. Lois Kolkhorst
  R - Brenham
(Senate Author)

  Sen. Borris Miles
  D - Houston
(Senate Amendment)

 

Supporting Documents / Links:

•   Mayor Sylvester Turner Oppose SB 624
  March 28, 2023
•   Solar and wind companies are coming to rural Texas. These residents are trying to keep them out
  Texas Tribune - April 19, 2023
•   Mayor Turner Announces TCEQ Approval of Largest Urban Solar Farm in the Country
  City of Houston - April 22, 2023
•   Miles Amendment

Senate Bill 624 - Renewable Energy Attacks

After Winter Storm Uri caused sustained blackouts across the state in 2021, a larger version of what happened a decade earlier in 2011, Texas politicians looked to blame the renewable energy industry – despite the evidence, the diagnostic autopsy, and the previously ignored warnings. The failure to pass any meaningful legislation to mandate weatherization shifted into blaming one of the most booming businesses in the country.

As part of its Energy Transition Strategy, the Greater Houston Partnership aims to take steps to support solar and wind development by actively attracting and retaining project developers, asset owners, and financial traders to Houston.

Cheap electricity from wind turbines and solar panels provided about 26% of electricity in Texas in 2022, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In 2002 that number was 0.7%.

• It is worth noting that solar panels successfully operate in space at a temperature range from -73 degrees to 70 degrees Celsius on the International Space Station.

However, some have decided that Texas is best served by launching additional regulations and permitting process for any wind energy project within 10 miles or any solar project within five miles of a historic site, river, natural area, state park or wildlife management area.

Senate Bill 624 by Senator Lois Kolkhorst would have made new projects extremely expensive to permit and take thousands of locations away from project developers.

Senator Borris Miles has been an early supporter of the Sunnyside Solar Farm – a $70 million investment that will transform a 240-acre former landfill that has sat dormant for more than five decades into a solar power farm that will provide renewable power sources - enough energy to power from 5,000 to 10,000 homes.

Senator Miles offered an amendment onto Senate Bill 624 that would have exempted solar farms inside of home rule cities from the additional regulations in the bill. This would have effectively saved the project as the City finalizes the agreements to begin construction.

Senate Bill 624 passed the Senate but did not get a hearing in the Texas House. A paired down version of SB 624 was added on to the Public Utility Commission Sunset bill (House Bill 1500) that included the Miles amendment.

Thankfully, Senate Bill 624 related provisions were removed from the PUC Sunset bill by the Conference Committee Report.