House Bill 3188: Prohibition of…

Growing Pains: The Cost and Contribution of Impact Fees in Texas

Texas’s rapidly growing population requires new infrastructure and improvements, which oftentimes come at great expense. To fund these projects, local officials often impose impact fees on new development—but their use comes at a cost. Key points: Texas is the fastest-growing state in the nation. As such, it has robust infrastructure requirements. To help finance capital...

Dr. Brent Bennett’s Testimony Before the House State Affairs Committee: Data Centers & 765-kV Transmission Lines

Testimony of Brent Bennett, Ph.D. Policy Director, Life:Powered Texas Public Policy Foundation Before the House State Affairs Committee August 19, 2026 Chairman King and Members of the Committee: Thank you for this opportunity to testify about the important challenges facing the Texas electric grid and specifically the challenges and opportunities being presented by data centers....

An Economic Assessment of the 765-kV Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan

An Economic Assessment of the 765-kV Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan And Alternative Approaches to Enable Cost-Effective Growth WRITTEN BY Brent Bennett, Ph.D. Download the full research paper here. KEY POINTS • The need for the 765-kV STEP is driven by an overbuilding of wind and solar across Texas, particularly in West Texas and South Texas,...