Houston Chronicle by L.M. Sixel April 25, 2019
Renewable energy has prospered in Texas over the years, supported by federal subsidies that have helped to make the state the biggest producer of wind power in the nation and lowered electricity prices for Texas household and businesses.
But now Texas lawmakers are examining ways to undermine that support and strip away what fossil-fuel interests have long decried as unfair advantages for wind and solar industries. The state Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would require state regulators to determine how to eliminate the financial advantages created by federal subsidies through measures such as new fees on renewable generators or higher rates for traditional generators — moves that would likely raise retail electricity prices.
A similar measure was approved earlier this month by the House committee on State Affairs.
The goal of the legislation’s proponents is to slow the development of the wind and solar generation that is taking increasingly bigger shares of the Texas power market, according to Joshua Rhodes, research associate at the University of Texas at Austin’s Energy Institute. Wind energy today generates nearly 20 percent of the state’s electricity.
“Our market is designed to reward low cost generation,†said Rhodes. “The idea is to tax wind and solar at the state level to counteract the federal subsidies.â€
The legislation is another front in a broader fight launched by fossil fuel interests as wind, solar and other green technologies have become formidable competitors, slicing into the profits of traditional coal, nuclear and natural gas generators. Federal subsidies and other incentives, such as property tax breaks, that were designed to help what were once emerging technologies compete are coming under attack nationwide.
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