On Thursday, Democrat State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt (Austin) filed legislation to increase state fuel taxes.
If passed, Senate Bill 254 would increase the state gas tax from 20 cents per gallon to 40 cents per gallon.
After Texans dealt with exorbitant gas prices all summer long, which have just begun falling ahead of holiday travels, Eckhardt would like to increase Texans’ gas bills by an additional 20 cents per gallon.
Eckhardt also filed Senate Bill 255 and Senate Bill 258, which would repeal the tax reduction for high-cost natural gas and increase the energy efficiency goals for electric utilities, respectively.
Both of these bills attack the production and utilization of traditional energy forms (natural gas and oil). Meanwhile, Texas’ electric grid’s instability arises from the increased use of unreliable “renewable” energy sources like wind and solar.
Renewable energy currently comprises a quarter of the Texas electrical grid and is heavily subsidized, despite being less reliable and more expensive than traditional energy sources.
“So because of subsidies and intervention in the market by regulators, electricity prices started going down; and the profits started going down for people who were investing in reliable generation of natural gas, particularly those who wanted to build plants that were powered by natural gas,” explains Bill Peacock, policy director for the Huffines Liberty Foundation.
So guess what, people stopped building those plants. And they started building plants made by or powered by wind in the sun. And so what we’ve had over the years, is that massive amount of electricity has gone.
Now, as demands increase for fixing the instability of Texas’ electric grid (including from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick), Democrat lawmakers continue attacking traditional energy sources.
Indeed, Eckhardt’s campaign website lists four priorities: COVID-19 recovery, criminal justice reform because “racism and over-policing in our country are deep and predate George Floyd’s murder by centuries,” public education, and addressing climate change.
“Surely we can all hope for a future in which energy is unlimitedly renewable, incredibly cheap to produce, constantly available and harmless to the environment – but that day is not yet here,” said U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL). “Radical climate activists on the left forcing millions into darkness will not bring it sooner.”
Although Scott’s comments targeted the Biden administration’s war on energy, it is clear this federal fight will be carried out on the state level as Democrat lawmakers in Texas continue fighting the use of traditional energy sources.
The 88th Legislative Session begins January 10, 2023.
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