Across Texas, we pride ourselves on doing what we’ve always done best: solving our own problems, building our own prosperity and making our own decisions free of government interference. Nowhere is that truer than in rural Texas where resourcefulness isn’t a slogan but rather a way of life.
That’s why proposals that sharply restrict renewable energy development should concern every Texan but especially those in communities that have quietly become the backbone of our state’s energy growth. Each legislative session, restrictive proposals resurface and ultimately fail. The cycle is growing tired, and those who continue to push these measures should consider what’s at stake beyond political gamesmanship.
In San Angelo, a city of about 100,000 about 200 miles west of Austin, we’ve built our economy with a diverse mix of agriculture, oil and gas, steel, manufacturing, tech hardware, medical devices and increasingly, renewable energy. We’re a growing but geographically isolated community, one that has long been structured to self-rescue and self-preserve. This kind of resilience depends on the freedom to attract new types of investment, and renewable projects have done exactly that.
In our county and many others, wind and solar are delivering real dollars to schools, roads, first responders and family ranching operations that have been on the land for generations.
Local ranchers and farmers have been clear: the land they lease to renewable developers is often surplus acreage — unproductive land that doesn’t support crops or cattle. Renewable projects don’t require water, a critical advantage in drought-prone West Texas, and provide something priceless to these families: a stable, alternative source of income.
That income serves as a backstop that keeps long-standing family operations afloat amid volatile commodity prices and unpredictable weather. In a business where the margins can be razor-thin, renewable leases can mean the difference between preserving a family ranch and selling it off.
In a region where much of our economic horsepower still comes from oil and gas, we’ve been struck by how frequently renewable developers collaborate with oil and gas companies. Instead of the conflict some assume, we’ve seen complementary development — proof that Texas’ energy sectors can grow side by side, each strengthening the other.
This diversified energy landscape has already helped attract new manufacturers and several large-scale data centers to San Angelo. These companies didn’t arrive by accident; they came because Texas had the flexibility and foresight to allow innovation to take root.
No two Texas counties are alike, and no one understands land use better than local communities themselves. Preserving local control isn’t just smart policy. It’s consistent with our values. Counties should continue to have the freedom to decide what types of energy projects fit their landscapes, their economies and their long-term goals – not be dictated to by a legislature that has more interest in playing politics rather than helping rural Texas.
Texas has become an energy powerhouse not by shutting doors but by opening them. We lead the nation in wind energy, and our solar build-out is accelerating. Importantly, this growth hasn’t come at the expense of our traditional energy industries. Instead, it has strengthened the broader ecosystem that helps Texas attract employers, expand tax bases and keep rural communities thriving.
Restricting renewable development would do the opposite: it would cut off new revenue streams, undermine rural school districts, shrink local budgets for roads and first responders and discourage investment from the advanced manufacturers and data centers that increasingly look to Texas as a place to grow.
If we want Texas to remain competitive economically, technologically and agriculturally, we must keep the door open for renewable energy projects and preserve the freedom of counties to make their own decisions.
The future of energy is already being developed in rural Texas. Let’s keep our state free to keep building it.
Michael Looney is Vice President of Economic Development of San Angelo Chamber of Commerce.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Why rural Texas needs to keep renewable energy options | Opinion
Reporting by Michael Looney, Vice president of economic development, San Angelo Chamber of Commerce / San Angelo Standard-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Michael Looney, Vice president of economic development, San Angelo Chamber of Commerce | USA TODAY Network
