Policy Edition
Countdown to sine die…
Texas – 89 days
Oklahoma – 87 days
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In This Newsletter:
- Texas 88th Legislature Activities
- Oklahoma 59th Legislature Activities
- Local Policy Actions
- Regional Happy Hours
- Upcoming Events and Webinars
- What We’re Reading/Hearing
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Over the last month, the Texas Legislature has assigned committee membership, filed thousands of bills, and begun holding committee hearings in both the Senate and House for the biannual appropriations act. Both the Senate Finance Committee and Appropriations Committee have heard testimony from the PUCT and OPUC regarding the legislative appropriations request (LAR) which would fund the agencies for the next biennium. Of note in these hearings was the PUCT’s special item request for additional employees to staff an office of public engagement and an office of energy efficiency! All committee hearings are recorded and are available on the Texas Legislature website here.
The Senate Business and Commerce Committee held multiple meetings as well to review the PUCT’s performance credit mechanism (PCM) proposal as part of their Phase II wholesale electric market redesign. On February 7th, the committee heard testimony from PUCT Chair Peter Lake, the ERCOT Independent Market Monitor Carrie Bivens, and E3’s Zach Ming. The panel was asked about PCM design, E3’s analysis and methodology, and for additional specifics about what would constitute as a dispatchable resource that could earn performance credits. Nine days later the committee reconvened to hear testimony from former PUCT Chair Becky Klein and industry stakeholders. These hearings can be viewed on the Texas Senate website here.
UPCOMING MEETINGS: On Wednesday, March 1st, the House State Affairs Committee will be hearing testimony from invited speakers to review the state’s electric grid. The meeting will begin at 10:30AM or upon final adjournment/recess or bill referral if permission granted in room JHR 140. The agenda can be found here.
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BILLS ON THE MOVE:
Appropriations bills:
HB 1 Appropriations Act referred to appropriations on Feb. 23, 2023
SB 1 Appropriations Act left pending in committee on Feb 21, 2023
House Committees:
Referred to Business & Industry committee
HB 330 Relating to regulation of residential wind power facilities by property owners' associations.
Referred to Energy Resources Committee
HB 578 Relating to the adoption of a comprehensive plan to protect oil and gas infrastructure in this state.
Referred to Environmental Regulations committee
HB 57 Relating to climate change planning and reporting.
HB 642 Relating to the establishment of the Texas Environmental Justice Advisory Council.
Referred to State Affairs Committee
HB 564 Relating to a study on energy-efficient and energy-saving information technologies.
Senate Committees:
Referred to Business & Commerce Committee
SB 31 Relating to the interconnection of the ERCOT power grid to grids outside the ERCOT power region.
SB 114 Relating to the provision of electricity service in the ERCOT power region.
SB 226 Relating to the use of green stormwater infrastructure in new state buildings.
SB 238 Relating to the installment of electric school buses and solar panels in Texas Public Schools.
SB 258 Relating to energy efficiency goals for electric utilities.
SB 330 Relating to the resilience of the electric grid and certain municipalities; authorizing an administrative penalty.
SB 365 Relating to the construction of an electrical transmission line and associated substations.
SB 527 Relating to a rebate of the assessment on the gross receipts of electricity for certain providers of retail electric service.
SB 624 Relating to the permitting of renewable energy generation facilities by the Public Utility Commission of Texas; authorizing fees.
SB 674 Relating to municipal and county building codes.
Referred to Natural Resources & Economic Development Committee
SB 592 Relating to the creation of the Lone Star Workforce of the Future Fund.
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Bill filing continues and SPEER will be reviewing and tracking all legislation that pertains to our mission. Our full tracking list will be uploaded weekly to the SPEER Policy Texas page which can be found here. If you have any questions or would like to discuss pending legislation, please reach out to us!
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Oklahoma 59th Legislature
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The 59th Oklahoma Legislative session has begun. Both halves of the Oklahoma Legislative regular session will last no longer than 160 days. The final date for legislators to pre-file legislation for the first half of the session was January 19, 2023. Over 2,500 individual bills were pre-filed.
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BILLS ON THE MOVE:
Passed out of Committee:
House Bills:
HB 2425 Professions and occupations; Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission; requiring amendments to code be sent to Commission.
HB 2556 Professions and occupations; authorizing Construction Industries Board to administer the Uniform Building Code Commission Act; repealer.
Senate Bills:
SB 19 An Act relating to carbon capture technologies; defining terms; requiring energy produced from certain sources be considered carbon neutral; requiring energy produced from certain sources in conjunction with carbon capture technologies be considered carbon negative; providing for codification.
SB 168 Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission; prohibiting any provision from being enacted to prohibit or limit use of refrigerant designated as federally acceptable.
SB 202 General provisions; protecting the internal combustion engine.
SB 433 Department of Commerce; requiring Department to publish information relating to energy efficiency programs.
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SPEER is currently tracking legislation that pertains to our mission. Our tracking list will be uploaded weekly to the SPEER Policy Oklahoma page which can be found here. If you have any questions or would like to discuss pending legislation, please reach out to us!
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Regional Workshops + Happy Hours
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SPEER and our staff are hitting the Texas roads and coming to a city near you. We are launching a new initiative and networking opportunity for our members and those looking to get more involved with SPEER. We are looking forward to hosting regional workshops focused on topics surrounding energy efficiency, distributed energy resources (DERs), the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), heat pump incentives, and much more. Each meeting will hold discussions around the topics most important to Texas and how to expand energy efficiency to ensure grid reliability. Following these short, but educational workshops, we will host a happy hour and encourage you to come to join us, say hello, connect, and network with your peers.
If you would like to sponsor a happy hour or learning session, provide a presentation, or invite guests please let us know and pass along the registration link. We're kicking off the first of five workshops in San Antonio on Thursday, March 30th. Save your spot and register here. Stay tuned as we release more details for future sessions coming near you.
- North Texas: May
- Central Texas: September
- Houston / Gulf Coast: November
- West Texas: January 2024
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If you are aware of upcoming policy discussions or actions in your area and would like to share them in this newsletter, please send information to noaks@eepartnership.org.
Recent and Upcoming Local Government Policy Actions:
Austin: On March 9th the Austin City Council will consider authorizing the negotiation and execution of a contract for school-based energy conservation education for a five year term. They will consider an interlocal agreement with Austin Community College to provide HVAC and other workforce training classes to the Austin community free of charge. They will also consider a resolution directing the City Manager to create a plan to increase the number of direct-current fast charging stations for EV’s equitably throughout the city. For more information, please see the Austin City Council Agenda page.
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Upcoming Events & Webinars
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TEPRI Webinar
When: February 28, 11:00 to 11:45 AM Central
Topic: Energy Opportunities for Community-Based Organizations: 2023 Texas Policy Updates and Energy Trends Confirmation
TEPRI's webinar will provide CBO’s with a comprehensive overview of the major energy-related updates and developments that will impact how they serve low-income and hard-to-reach customers. Interested in attending? Register here.
SPEER Webinar
When: March 23 at 10:00 AM Central
Topic: What can a County do to move the needle forward in Energy?
Join us and learn more about Travis County’s current initiatives, lessons learned, and future projects relating to energy efficiency, greenhouse gas inventory, and climate action plans. If you are interested in attending, please find more information here.
For more upcoming webinars, especially related to energy and building code topics from Buried Ducts and an Energy Code Inspection Walk-thru to HVAC Ventilation for Building & Homes, head over to SPEER's calendar.
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Missed last week's webinar: A Review of Texas and Oklahoma Scores: Understanding the ACEEE State Energy Efficiency Scorecard? Watch the recap on our YouTube Channel. We were joined by ACEEE's lead author, Sagarika Subramanian, and her colleagues as they discussed the scorecard development process, took an in-depth look at Texas and Oklahoma scores, and provided a review of possible recommendations that may allow the region to improve its energy-saving efforts.
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