Some Texas GOP lawmakers turning away from wind and solar

Josiah Neeley, senior fellow at the think tank the R Street Institute, said some people see clean energy as a threat to the oil and gas industry.

“Natural gas is the largest portion of our fuel used for electricity, and we use it for all sorts of other stuff,” Neeley explained. “Wind especially and increasingly solar, as they emerge onto the grid as real competitors, some people don’t like that.”

Some conservative lawmakers argue wind and solar are not reliable during Texas’ extreme weather. Several bills targeting renewable energy were proposed during last year’s legislative session.

Neeley believes more restrictions will be proposed when lawmakers meet again next year.

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Neeley pointed out in addition to providing the state with another source of energy, wind and solar projects can financially benefit farmers and ranchers who host turbines or solar panels on their land.

“They tell us that this allows them a hedge and a protection for the farms and the ranches, in the same way that being able to have some oil wells on your land provides a little stable source of income,” Neeley added.