Texas Senate votes to eliminate RPS
April 16, 2015 | By
Jaclyn Brandt
The Texas state Senate is looking to remove incentives for renewable energy in the state by getting rid of their Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). The original bill requires energy retailers to purchase a certain percent of their power from wind and solar producers.
Senate Bill (SB) 931 will also end the state's Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) initiative, which was administered by the Texas Public Utilities Commission and helped transmission projects to be constructed by seven transmission and distribution utilities. The initiative had a goal, through the facilities, of transmitting 18,456 megawatts (MW) of wind power from West Texas and the panhandle to other areas of the state. The bill was introduced by Senator Troy Fraser, who also introduced the original bill. It was passed by the Texas Senate in a 21-10 vote, and will be voted on by the House next. The RPS called for 10,000 MW of wind and solar energy by 2025, but passed the goal in 2010 -- the state is now at 12,800 MW in just wind energy capacity. The lawmakers behind the bill explained it wasn't about removing the standards, but that their job was done -- and renewables no longer need a helping hand from the government. "We're number one in the nation by a long shot," Sen. Fraser said during a Senate session, according to the Dallas News. "We have the lines there. We can handle another 6,000 or 7,000 MWs of wind and solar." The bill also said that the commission may not create a new competitive renewable energy zone after Jan. 1, 2015. Texas' RPS was adopted in 1999, and revised in 2005 by Sen. Fraser. If HB 931 is passed, the RPS will end on Dec. 31, 2015. For more: © 2015 FierceMarkets, a division of Questex Media Group LLC. All rights reserved. http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/texas-senate-votes-eliminate-rps/2015-04-16 |