Proposition 7
“The constitutional amendment providing for the creation of the Texas energy fund to support the construction, maintenance, modernization, and operation of electric generating facilities.”
If voters approve Proposition 7, the Texas Energy Fund would be created and administered to the Public Utilities Commission authorizing the state to allocate funds for the modernization of the electric grid.
SUPPORTING VIEWPOINT
Todd Staples
President
Texas Oil and Gas Association
Q: Why should the average Texan care about this proposition?
A: Proposition 7 will create the Texas Energy Fund to support electric generation facilities and will strengthen reliability in extreme weather. Texas homes and businesses need reliable electricity to keep the lights on, heat and air conditioning, and to support manufacturing and essential services. If this initiative is passed, it will help electric generation facilities modernize and weatherize so that they are resilient and continue to operate despite extreme weather.
Q: Why does your organization support it?
A: Well, we are consumers of electricity, and more electricity is needed to support and sustain Texas as our population grows. Proposition 7 will help create new and robust electricity infrastructure, leading to a larger supply of electricity whenever Texas needs it. We know there’s a very real need to increase the supply of flexible generation and doing so will protect Texans from further increases to their electricity bills by reducing the frequency of expensive shortage events. This is about preparedness and the legislature recognizing the need for dispatchable energy sources and creating additional construction of the infrastructure to meet our state’s growing electricity demand. Texas is the fastest growing state in the nation, and we need to be prepared for the future and have the type of electric generation that is necessary for grid stability.
– This Q&A was edited and condensed. Interviews conducted by Alicia Ortega and Johnell Nemons.
OPPOSING VIEWPOINT
Luke Metzger
Executive Director
Environment Texas
Q: Our question is for those who aren’t too familiarized with Proposition 7. Do you mind telling us what exactly does it help?
A: Yeah, so the measure will provide billions of dollars in grants and low-cost loans to big power companies to build more methane gas power plants and we don’t support the measure because to avoid the worst impacts of global warming as well as just the air pollution crisis in Texas that kills thousands of people every year. It’s critical that we get off of fossil fuels and the state of Texas is making great strides in building more and more wind solar battery storage. You know, last year we got 31% of our electricity from clean sources like wind solar and batteries and there’s far more under development right now And so, that’s the direction we need to be headed in. It’s not the time to be building even more polluting fossil fuel power plants. And so that’s why we’re opposing it.
Q: If it is opposed, what would be the results?
A: Well, you know, I think it’s likely to pass. Most of the measures that go to the ballots, generally they all pass and this one will likely pass too. I think power companies will be able to get a loan or even just straight-out grants to build some of these power plants. And the argument for it is that wind and solar, of course, are intermittent. They rely on when it’s sunny or when it’s windy, and so there’s an emphasis on building more of what are called baseload generations of things that can run with a flip of a switch, and we don’t necessarily agree with that. If you look back to the winter storm in 2021, the blackouts that we had during (Winter Storm) Uri, the main thing that failed was gas infrastructure — you know, the gas power plants, the gas wells, the gas pipelines, they all froze. And that was the primary reason for the blackouts. And even this summer, we continue to have a number of outages by gas and other fossil fuel power plants, and so it’s not necessarily any more reliable, particularly, when we’re making such great strides investing in battery storage. We think that’s the direction. We can reliably meet the state’s energy needs, but do it in a clean fashion that doesn’t kill people.
– This Q&A was edited and condensed. Interviews conducted by Alicia Ortega and Johnell Nemons.
