Texas Senate votes to end renewable energy program
Source: By James Osborne, Dallas Morning News • Posted: Thursday, April 16, 2015
Texas’ state Senate voted yesterday to shut down a renewable energy program that had far exceeded its production goals.
Established in 1999, the initiative aimed for 10,000 megawatts of wind and solar power by 2025, but Texas reached that in 2010.
State Sen. Troy Fraser (R) said the plan had been so successful that the industry does not need further government help. Lawmakers passed the legislation ending the program on a 21-10 party-line vote. It now heads to the state House.
The program requires power companies to buy some of their electricity from wind and solar farms, creating what the renewable energy industry says is a $40 million per year market for renewable credits. Under the legislation, that market would continue to exist, but power companies’ participation would be optional and other government incentives would be pared back, as well.