1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

Texas has long been a national leader in renewable energy development, but Senate Bill 819 threatens to undermine this progress by imposing burdensome restrictions exclusively on solar and wind projects. This misguided legislation would require new permits, fees, regulatory hurdles, and property tax penalties for utility-scale solar and wind farms, while leaving other energy sources unaffected. The consequences would be severe – higher electricity costs for Texans, harm to rural economies that benefit from renewable investments, threats to grid reliability as solar and wind growth slows, and encroachments on private property rights. The research is clear: solar and wind have saved Texans billions in utility bills and played a crucial role in maintaining grid stability during extreme weather events. With over $50 billion invested in Texas' booming solar industry and projections for the state to install over 40 gigawatts more solar in just the next five years, hampering this growth is unwise and uneconomic. I urge you to reject SB 819 and its counterproductive constraints on affordable, reliable, clean energy that is powering our state's future.