cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28402969

"The Texas Senate voted 22-9 to pass Senate Bill 819. The bill places restrictions on solar and wind power projects, requiring new permits, assessing fees, adding new regulatory requirements and placing new taxes on the projects.

The legislation “adds onerous requirements to new solar projects that would not apply to other energy sources except wind,” said the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA).

Texas has the nation’s largest utility-scale solar market – a $50 billion industry that has enough solar installed to power nearly 5 million homes. The bill is expected to slow development, raise Texans’ utility bills, harm rural economies, worsen grid reliability and encroach on private property rights.

“This bill will kill renewable energy in Texas,” Jeff Clark, CEO of Texas Power Alliance, said during public testimony.

Senate Bill 819 requires solar and wind projects of 10 MW or larger to obtain a permit from t

Thanks for wasting our taxpayer money on this political theatre, you prick. There's real crises happening right now, and you're over here going, "Buh duh statues make me horny!" JFC.

cross-posted from: https://discuss.tchncs.de/post/34366704

Interesting article about all the crappy energy legislation being pushed and passed in Texas.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27836793

Summary

Texas hospitals are treating children with vitamin A poisoning linked to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s promotion of the supplement as a measles treatment.

At Covenant Children’s hospital in Lubbock, patients with measles showed abnormal liver function due to excessive vitamin A intake.

Kennedy, the U.S. health secretary, claimed vitamin A dramatically reduces measles mortality. Experts warn his messaging confuses parents and downplays the proven protection of the MMR vaccine.

The U.S. faces its worst measles outbreak in decades, with nearly 500 cases across 21 states and two confirmed deaths.

Current events and all. I got all of mine as a kid, but thinking now would be a good time for a booster.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27797091

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27796205

cross-posted from: https://reddthat.com/post/38394903

South Texas county leaders will lose some authority over SpaceX launches under new bill.

The lawmakers behind the bill promised there would not be an increase in the number of days the beach is closed.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/20224513

Operation Lone Star has turbocharged DPS’ surveillance capabilities. Lawmakers say they want to prevent Texas from becoming a police state but have filed only modest legislation to regulate use of AI.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27506751

cross-posted from: https://midwest.social/post/25255100

I haven't kept up much with this since moving, but I first read about Synagro and their biosolid fertilizer when it started causing problems in Johnson County, Texas.

Long story short,

This company has been selling a biosolid fertilizer that people have been using in their fields, which has led to incredibly high levels of PFAS contamination in nearby ponds and animals. A couple in Grandview lost a good portion of their cattle mysteriously at the same time.

This actually led to an investigation in Johnson County, but since counties can't regulate PFAS levels and the state (at the time, I'm not sure about now) hasn't regulated it either, there wasn't much that could be done.

Following the county’s investigation, Woolley led the charge to pass a local resolution urging farmers to stop using biosolids on their land.

The resolution called for Fort Worth to stop sending its biosolids to fertilizer co

"Republicans hold a tiny majority in the House, creating an incentive for Abbott to hold off on calling an election for Turner’s seat, which would likely be filled by a Democrat."

"Three weeks after U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner’s death and just over a month before the state’s next uniform election, Gov. Greg Abbott has not yet called a special election to fill the seat representing parts of Houston, a Democratic stronghold, in Congress.

Turner, who previously served in the Texas House for nearly three decades before becoming mayor of Houston, died March 5, two months into his first term representing Texas’ 18th Congressional District. His funeral was held in Houston on March 15.

Turner was elected to Congress last year after his predecessor and political ally, former U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, died in office after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Abbott has the sole authority to call a special election to fill Turner's seat for the rest of the two-year term. State law does not spe

Only a temporary block at this point, but I love the advice here by the judge:

"Anyone who finds the performance or performers offensive has a simple remedy: don't go."

For as free as conservative Texas politicians claim their constituents are, they sure can’t mind their own business.