Sanford Nowlin
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar speaks throughout Thursday’s information convention selling a invoice to attach Texas’ energy grid with the remainder of the nation.
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar mentioned Thursday that constructing assist with some Republican lawmakers, particularly these from rural areas, can be key to passing his latest invoice to attach Texas’ stand-alone energy grid with the remainder of the nation.
Casar, a progressive Democrat whose district spans San Antonio and Austin, made the feedback throughout an Alamo Metropolis press convention selling his proposal. He mentioned the measure will assist Texas keep away from one other devastating energy outage just like the one which killed a whole bunch and left thousands and thousands with out energy throughout 2021’s Winter Storm Uri.
Below the laws, the Lone Star State might draw electrical energy from exterior in instances of want whereas promoting extra energy when it has a surplus. Interconnection would immediate improvement of extra photo voltaic and wind energy in rural Texas, Casar mentioned, including that lawmakers in these districts would welcome the roles and financial improvement, even when they’re members of the GOP.
“I believe electrical transmission will develop into a baseline infrastructure query, similar to President Biden bought a big variety of Republican votes for his infrastructure and jobs legislation,” the first-term congressman mentioned. “[T]he constructing of electrical transmission might develop into a bipartisan situation, similar to infrastructure was a bipartisan situation for a pair dozen Republicans. Once more, this is not about getting a whole bunch of Republicans on board however simply sufficient who’re courageous sufficient to do the frequent sense factor.”
Presently, the GOP holds a seven-seat majority within the Home, whereas Democrats narrowly management the U.S. Senate. Massachusetts Democrat Ed Markey has launched companion laws to Casar’s invoice within the higher chamber.
Whereas Casar stopped wanting saying he’d satisfied any Home Republicans to again his invoice, he added that he is already assembly with them to make the case. Strategically, one of the best shot for passing the proposal is probably going by tacking it to a bigger energy-related package deal, he mentioned.
“I count on, whether or not it is on this session or not, there needs to be main electrical-transmission laws moved on the ground of the U.S. Home,” Casar mentioned. “When a kind of payments strikes, I hope and count on that our invoice could be a part of that complete laws.”
Even when bipartisan assist does not take form, Casar mentioned his measure is a primary step towards displaying Texans the place their elected leaders in Washington stand on averting future disasters like Uri.
“With out a invoice having been filed ever to attach the grid, there was no approach to maintain folks accountable to what they stood for and what they stood towards,” he mentioned.
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