A Texas bill would have punished wind and solar for the blackout they didn’t cause. We helped fix it.

An unwise dependence on gas-fired power plants that were unprepared for excessive cold was the primary cause of the Great Texas Blackout of 2021. Yet a bill filed in the state Legislature would have punished wind and solar as culprits.

The bill would have saddled renewable power with new costs, damaging the Texas wind and solar industries. Fortunately, when Environment Texas advocates and supporters informed lawmakers of the facts, they listened. A key committee struck the anti-renewable language from the bill.

“Wind and solar energy and battery storage are clean, affordable and quick to deploy. They’re booming in Texas, which is great news for our air and climate, as well as for ratepayers,” said Environment Texas Executive Director Luke Metzger. “In order to reduce the pollution damaging the health of Texans and heating up our atmosphere, the state should do more to promote renewables, not make it harder for them to operate.”

Texas is the top producer of wind energy in the country.

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