Texas at a Crossroads: Why Republicans Are Threatening the State’s Clean Energy Boom

The GOP’s new bill puts Texas jobs and investments on the line.

“The legislation isn’t just an attack on climate policy—it’s an attack on the economic future of states like Texas.”
—Kate Aronoff, Mother Jones, July 2025

Texas leads the nation in renewable energy—and not by chance. Through a combination of geography, infrastructure, and strategic federal incentives, the state has built a clean energy economy that rivals any in the world. But now, Republicans in Congress—backed by Donald Trump—are moving to dismantle it.

A new bill would eliminate key provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), including tax credits and federal subsidies that have driven rapid growth in wind, solar, battery storage, and electric vehicle infrastructure. Much of this development has taken place in rural Texas, where traditional oil and gas markets have long dominated. Gutting these incentives would threaten tens of thousands of jobs and stall billions in investment, all while undermining Texas’s hard-earned grid stability.

“Republicans are rejoicing that their bill guts the benefits of the IRA,” Mother Jones reports, “even though their own states are the biggest losers.”
(Yahoo News reprint of Mother Jones)

The U.S. Energy Information Administration confirms that in 2023, Texas generated more than 26% of all wind power in the United States. Solar energy is rapidly expanding, particularly in counties like Hidalgo and Webb. These aren’t just environmental achievements—they represent new income for landowners, additional tax revenue for school districts, and a diversified workforce in regions left behind by the boom-and-bust cycles of fossil fuels.

Yet most Texans remain unaware of just how deep the renewable transition already runs—even within the oil industry itself. As reported in The Rio Grande Current, fossil fuel corporations that publicly dismiss climate science have quietly invested millions into wind and solar development in Texas. These same corporations are positioning themselves for long-term dominance in a decarbonizing energy market while fueling political narratives that deny its very existence.

“Oil companies don’t believe the climate hoax they sell their voters,” The Rio Grande Current reports. “They believe in profit—and they’ve been hedging their bets on clean energy for over a decade.”
(Read the full article here)