New bills being considered in the Texas legislature that would shift the state’s power generation away from renewable energy and back toward natural gas could also drive up energy costs for consumers living in the state, threatening price pain on top of environmental consequences.
The bills, which were approved by the Texas Senate last week, seek to increase the amount of so-called dispatchable sources of energy, such as natural gas, on the state's power grid that can be quickly brought online in emergencies.
They would add combined billions of dollars in public funds to finance operations and repairs of fossil fuel plants in a bid to "firm up" the grid, or increase guaranteed sources of power that can be brought online in an emergency.