Texas Lawmakers Consider State Energy Council

Texas State Senator Troy Fraser, a Republican from Horseshoe Bay, has proposed that the state create a new energy council under Senate Bill 15. According to a recent article by the Texas Tribune’s Kate Galbraithe, Senator Fraser’s proposal would create a Texas Energy Planning Council tasked with planning the state’s energy  policy. In a hearing last week in the Texas Senate Natural Resource Committee, key language was removed that would have required the new council to identify the electricity fleets highest polluting power plants. This information would enable state planners to modify long-term strategic plans to decrease the environmental impact of the state’s power generation fleet.