That’s the Wrong Direction
What to know: State lawmakers are holding hearings on proposed 765-kV transmission lines, which are facing significant pushback from landowners and ratepayers throughout the state.
The TPPF take: You can’t solve a reliable generation problem with more transmission lines.
“Texas needs more transmission to accommodate demand growth, both in the cities and in West Texas,” says TPPF’s Brent Bennett. “Life:Powered fully supports new lines that connect reliable, dispatchable generation to growing demand, especially in the Permian Basin. But the 765-kV STEP is designed around moving intermittent and diffuse wind and solar across the state, and there is no indication that it will increase the proportion of reliable power or lower electricity costs for Texans.”
When the Revolution Came
What to know: The U.S. conflict with Iran is resulting in that theocracy intensifying its repression of women.
The TPPF take: Iran’s war on women goes back to its 1979 Islamist revolution.
“Once the clerics had power, they didn’t share it,” says Julie Ruehle, writing for The Cannon Online. “The Marxists, the students, the secular reformers who had linked arms with them to topple the Shah were, one by one, imprisoned, exiled, or executed. Between 1980 and 1988, there were mass executions of the very people who had helped bring the revolution about. They were useful once. Then they stopped being useful.”
Budget Season
What to know: It’s budget season, and in Texas, that means cities, counties and school districts are setting their budgets and tax rates for the upcoming year.
The TPPF take: The Northeast Texas city of Princeton plans to raise its taxes a massive 24.94% increase over the previous year.
“Of course, there is no requirement that Princeton officials adopt the proposed tax rate,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “In fact, they have the discretion to choose a better, friendlier option in the form of the no-new-revenue (NNR) tax rate. The NNR rate is the tax rate that would effectively hold tax receipts constant and give homeowners and businesses a chance to catch their breath.”