Texans Vote in Favor for Fund to Fix Faulty Grid - Gizmodo

Texans Vote in Favor of Billions for Fossil Fuels, Leaving Out Renewables

The votes are in, and Texans overwhelmingly voted “yes” for Proposition 7, which will funnel billions of dollars to fund fossil fuel power plants instead of turning to renewables to back up the state’s fragile electrical grid. The proposition will allow the creation of a $10 billion energy fund, none of which can go to wind, solar, or battery storage.

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More than 64% of eligible Texas voters voted in favor of Proposition 7, according to a report from The New York Times Wednesday. The proposition authorizes the Public Utility Commission of Texas to create the “Texas Energy Fund,” which will provide 3% interest loans for constructing power plants that can generate more than 100 megawatts. The fund will total approximately $10 billion, and more than $7 billion of the money will go towards the loans and completion grants.

The results of Tuesday’s vote comes over two years after millions experienced outages during a deadly winter storm that likely led to the death of more than 200 Texans in 2021.

Texas State Sen. Charles Schwertner (R), who pushed the proposition, rejoiced at the election results.

“Glad to see the voters supported Proposition 7 to ensure Texans have the electric generation they need to keep their lights on during extreme weather conditions,” he said in a statement, according to the Dallas Morning News Wednesday.

Environmental groups in the state are concerned that funneling billions towards loans and grants for power plants will undermine the role of renewable energy as a more reliable backup for extreme conditions. Sourcing natural gas also releases a ton of methane into the atmosphere. Even though this greenhouse gas doesn’t stick around for as long as carbon dioxide, it is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a two-decade period.

However, yesterday’s vote did lead to some environmental wins for the state. Texans overwhelmingly voted yes for Proposition 6, which creates a fund to update the state’s water infrastructure and mitigate water loss, the Texas Tribune reported. About 76% of Texans also voted in favor of Proposition 14, which creates a fund for improving and creating state parks.

Want more climate and environment stories? Check out Earther’s guides to decarbonizing your home, divesting from fossil fuels, packing a disaster go bag, and overcoming climate dread. And don’t miss our coverage of the latest IEA report on clean energy, the future of carbon dioxide removal, and the invasive plants you should rip to shreds.