Community Opposition to the Texas Gas Rush
Public Citizen has a long history of supporting communities that are opposed to the development of polluting industries that threaten public health. In the early 2000s, when state leaders were promoting coal as a solution to reliability concerns, Public Citizen partnered with Texans who were concerned about the prospect of new coal-burning power plants being built in their communities. We listened to their concerns, researched permit applications, shared relevant information, and assisted in arranging legal representation.
Texans face a Gas Rush supported by state leadership in the name of reliability.
The Texas Energy Fund provides $5 billion in low-interest loans and substantial completion grants for methane gas-burning electric generation. On the surface, the TEF appears to be an investment in energy generation. In reality, it’s doubling down on the grid’s dependence on methane gas, the fossil fuel that failed to keep the lights on during Winter Storm Uri.
Despite the failure of the Texas Energy Fund to procure a single megawatt of capacity for the ERCOT grid, the 89th legislature allocated an additional $2.2 billion in low-interest loans and completion grants to the fund.
On August 29, 2024, the Public Utility Commission selected 17 projects totaling 9,781 megawatts (MW) to receive this taxpayer funding.
The Commission received applications for
72 projects totaling 38,379 MW.
Many have since dropped out due to various issues, including lack of profitability, supply chain constraints, or disagreements with the financing structures necessary for TEF disbursements.
And some of those projects that weren’t selected for state funding are still planning to move forward. One project initially selected for financing from the Texas Energy Funding was subsequently disqualified due to inaccurately listing another company as a partner.
These plants bring health risks to the communities where they are built. Studies show that generating plants running on fossil fuels cause worse health outcomes for the people living nearby. That’s why, across the state, communities are organizing to fight back.
Testimonials
Haley Schulz
Stop the Sugar Land Gas Plant, Sugar Land, TX
“I grew up in Sugar Land and live just a few miles away from where the City planned to stand up a gas peaker plant. While Sugar Land is known for “the sweet life” and has a diverse, charming community, the public’s response to the plant was far from “charming” and immediately garnered attention. This plant was an attack on our home and what was worse, the city made decisions without public input. Neighborhoods banded together and partnered with Public Citizen and other local groups to provide the community with access to research, tools, and training. This was personal for Fort Bend County residents, who already feel the effects of W.A. Parish, the largest coal plant in Texas.
As a result of the failed proposal, residents in Sugar Land recently voted for a new mayor and city council members who won’t allow a fossil-fuel power plant in Sugar Land. With the state’s excessive buildout of gas plants, this should serve as a warning to the Industry that we're not buying their narrative, and Texans deserve clean, reliable, renewable energy. To other communities battling Industry, we hope we can serve as an optimistic example that there is power in the people and we stand in solidarity with you. ”
Cheryl Shadden
Protect Hood County, Granbury, TX
“We are fighting because our rural community has been turned into a sacrifice zone for industrial gas buildout. We once had a peaceful life–quiet nights, clean air, and a sense of safety. That life has been stripped away. Now we live across the road from gas plants and a crypto mine–noisy, toxic and restless.”
Public Citizen gave us the courage to stand up when no one else would. Their support turned our pain into purpose, helping everyday Texans find our voice in the face of corporate power. They’ve stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us, challenging the myth that gas expansion is harmless. It isn’t. We are living proof.
This fight is deeply personal. It’s about defending our health, our land, and our right to live without constant industrial harm. With allies like Public Citizen, we will not stop until justice is done.
For more information: Protecthoodcounty.com
Travis Brown
Move the Gas Plant Group, Lee County, TX
“The state could meet future power needs through conservation and renewable energy, not costly new gas plants. But if the gas plant proposed by Sandow Lakes Energy is going to be built, it should not be located in our quiet, peaceful rural community, especially when there is an industrial site a few miles away where it could be built with far fewer negative impacts. We stand with other citizens’ groups across the state who are fighting to stop the needless spread of these power plants that pose a threat to human health and the environment.”
For more information: movethegasplant.com
Cause for Concern
AIR POLLUTION
Methane gas production, processing, transport and combustion are significant sources of air pollution. Most communities opposing local gas plant proposals are primarily concerned with local air pollution from the power plant. Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are a significant concern. NOx is a harmful air pollutant that reacts with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to create ground-level ozone. NOx and ground-level ozone can cause and worsen respiratory illnesses such as asthma. NOx is also a cause of acid rain and haze. Even more dangerous air pollution is often emitted at wellheads and methane processing facilities.
WATER
Water use and water pollution are inextricably linked with methane gas. Fracking is responsible for 80 billion gallons of water use annually in Texas, often in arid and semi-arid areas with minimal water supplies. The disposal of fracking wastewater causes toxic contamination of water and land, resulting in various health problems, including birth defects. Methane gas-burning steam turbines use an average of 2,803 gallons of water per megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity produced.
CLIMATE CHANGE
While methane gas power generation is often touted as the bridge fuel between coal and a renewable energy future, using more methane gas will worsen the climate crisis. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and a significant contributor to climate change. While burning methane produces much less carbon dioxide (CO2) than coal, methane released directly into the atmosphere causes 87 times more warming over 20 years than CO2. And a lot of methane is leaking directly into the atmosphere, so much that there’s no climate benefit to replacing coal with gas.