Texas Scorecard by Katy Marshall August 21, 2023
The proposed wind farm would cover an area larger than the city of Houston.Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham is promising to push back against President Joe Biden’s proposed 546,645-acre wind farm 24 miles off the Galveston coast.
Last year, Biden designated the acreage as a “Wind Energy Area” and directed federal officials to lease the expanse to a wind energy company. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, a branch of the Department of the Interior, claims the project will produce enough energy to power 2.3 million homes.
The plan also includes a 188,023 acre wind farm 56 miles off the shore of Lake Charles, Louisiana.
In response to this proposed plan, Texas State Sens. Mayes Middleton (R–Galveston) and Drew Springer (R–Muenster) have advocated for a new measure that would allow Buckingham to deny the Biden Administration permits for burying cables in Texas-controlled waters in an effort to stop the wind turbines in the Gulf of Mexico.
During the legislative session earlier this year, Middleton filed Senate Bill 1303, which would have required in-depth investigation into potential wind farms and create a permitting process for such facilities. The bill was ultimately not heard in committee.
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/state/texas-land-commissioner-promises-to-fight-bidens-galveston-wind-farm/
