Texas voters to decide whether to give billions to gas power, parks, water and broadband

Texas voters are going to decide this week whether they should put billions of dollars toward natural gas power plants, state parks, water infrastructure and broadband access.

More than $13 billion is at stake as voters consider in Tuesday’s election multiple constitutional amendments addressing infrastructure, according to The Texas Tribune.

One of the most controversial proposals is known as Proposition 7, which would create the "Texas Energy Fund" with the goal of addressing state energy grid issues by providing $5 billion for 3% loans to build new power plants. In addition to the $5 billion, the proposition would also set aside money for strengthening the power grid and repairing existing power plants. 

The proposal comes after the infamous Texas winter storm in February 2021 led to the deaths of at least 246 people.

University of Texas Center for Electromechanics Director Robert Hebner told The Hill that more power plants may help reliability when demand is high. 

"When we have extraordinarily high temperatures and we were running out of supply or extraordinarily low temperatures and we run out of supply, then more supply will help," he said. 

However, he said he thinks that there are better options, and the current proposal is "more of a showpiece than a solution."

He explained that a power plant is a 20-year investment, but technology in the field is rapidly changing.

"We may not want to make a 20-year decision to use old technology. We may want to make smaller decisions along the way to get to the best solution over time," Hebner said.

Texas Consumer Association President Sandra Haverlah said her group opposes the proposal.

"Our main concern is that the language gives citizens and the voters the idea that potentially this is going to solve our grid generation issues, which it is not," she said.

"This is really a loan fund and not the state of Texas buying generation for ERCOT," she also said, using the acronym to refer to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which controls the majority of the power grid.

Environmentalist groups such as the Sierra Club have opposed the measure, calling it "misleading" and accusing state officials of "pushing a pro-fossil fuel subsidies and anti-renewables agenda."

Meanwhile, state Republicans have expressed support for the measure.

"Proposition 7 is the key to building a stronger and more resilient energy infrastructure, ensuring that we always have the electricity we need, when we need it," State Sen. Charles Schwertner wrote last week on X, formerly Twitter.

State Sen. Pete Flores said that the proposal would "increase the reliability of Texas' power grid," which he argues is vital with "more and more people flocking to Texas."

Texas residents are also set to vote on Proposition 6 to give $1 billion for the "Texas Water Fund," which would go towards finding new water supplies and repairing existing infrastructure. 

Proposition 8 is also up for a vote this Tuesday as Texans decide whether to spend $1.5 billion on expanding broadband internet service to rural parts of the state that currently lack access.

Additionally, residents are going to vote on Proposition 14, which would allocate $1 billion into purchasing land to create new state parks. This money would be used in addition to the $3.3 billion in federal funding that would be used to increase broadband internet access.

Follow Madeleine Hubbard on X or Instagram.