Most of the electricity bills this session had one thing in common—they were going to make electricity more expensive for Texas consumers or taxpayers. Fortunately, most of them didn’t pass. The major bill that did pass provided incentives, i.e. subsidies, for electricity generation plants equipped with carbon capture technology. But it may not wind up…
Category: Consumers
TX Legislature in Review: Windstorm Insurance
The windstorm insurance bill fixed the symptoms without solving the underlying problems with TWIA. General revenue is no longer at risk, but coastal policy holders are still stuck with the most expensive windstorm insurance possible and taxpayers and policyholders statewide will still have to pick up the bill That will especially be true if we…
TX Legislature in Review: Homeowners’ Insurance
Texas Department of Insurance sunset legislation would have made modest improvements to the status quo, but the failure of the TDI sunset bill means consumers will still be subject to the regulatory confusion they’ve suffered thought over the last decade or so. Unless, of course, the entire Texas Department of Insurance goes away. Something similar happened…
Texas New Energy Taxes
A recent study estimated that proposed federal legislation aimed at decreasing greenhouse gas emissions would increase Texans electricity bills by a minimum of $10 billion. Meanwhile, the Obama administration announced new fuel standards that could cost American car buyers $19 billion a year when fully implemented. Not content with these new energy taxes on Texas…