Southwest

Texas

Texas is the top energy producing state in the country, generating almost a quarter of the nation’s total domestically produced energy. Crude oil, natural gas, and coal reserves are present throughout the state. Texas also has substantial renewable resources – the state leads the nation in wind energy and is also a top solar producer. Texas has an independent power grid, disconnected from other regions, which can leave it particularly vulnerable to climate impacts. The oil and gas industry is Texas’ biggest contributor to the state’s GDP due to its vast fossil fuel reserves and production capacity.

Governor

Greg Abbott (Republican)

House Party

Republican Majority

Senate Party

Republican Majority

Key Offices & Links

10

Policies Enacted or In Progress

across 3 policy areas

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52

Policy Opportunities

across 6 policy areas

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Southwest

4 states

This map shows the occurrence of climate policies passed at the state-level. Higher numbers represent more climate policies enacted.

Compare with other states

Progress by Policy Area

Enacted
In-progress
Partially Enacted
Not Enacted

Glossary of Terms

Status	Policy	Policy Area	Policy Category	YR Enacted
Enacted	Residential Energy Codes Empty column The statewide energy code for residential construction is 2015 IECC. Establishing Policies Texas State Energy Code (2015)	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Codes	2015
Enacted	Commercial Energy Codes Empty column The statewide energy code for commercial building construction is 2015 IECC and ASHRAE 90.1-2013. Establishing Policies Texas State Energy Code (2016)	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Codes	2016
Not Enacted	Stretch Building Energy Codes Empty column Stretch building energy codes are an optional, more stringent building code established by the state that local jurisdictions can adopt to require that newly constructed buildings are more efficient than the baseline state codes.	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Codes
Enacted	Appliance Standards Empty column The Water Saving Performance Standards apply to 6 products Establishing Policies Title 30, Texas Administrative Code, (30 TAC) Section 290.251-267 (2009) Plumbing Fixtures: Water Saving Standards	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Standards	2009
Not Enacted	Building Performance Standards Empty column Building performance standards establish energy and/or greenhouse gas performance targets for existing buildings in a state. These targets increase in stringency over time, leading to efficiency improvements in buildings to conserve energy and reduce emissions.	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Standards
Not Enacted	Clean Heat Standards Empty column Clean heat standards establish a performance standard requiring heat providers to deliver a gradually-increasing percentage of low-emission heating services to customers.	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Standards
Enacted	Energy Efficiency Resource Standards (EERS) Empty column Electric utilities are required to achieve annual energy savings of 0.4% of peak demand. Gas utilities are not subject to an EERS. Establishing Policies SB 1125 (2011)	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Efficiency	2011
Enacted	Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Empty column Texas has enacted commercial PACE-enabling legislation and has active programs. Establishing Policies SB 385 (2013)	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Efficiency	2013
Enacted	Weatherization Funding Empty column The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled. Establishing Policies SPOT - Weatherization Funding in Texas Policy Components enacted enacted enacted enacted 4/4	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Efficiency
Not Enacted	All-Electric Buildings Empty column All-electric buildings policies require new buildings to be constructed with all-electric heating, cooling, and cooking systems to transition away from fossil-fuel use in buildings.	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Electrification

Texas

Key Offices & Links

10

52

Southwest

Progress by Policy Area

Climate Governance and Equity

Cross-Sector

Electricity

Buildings and Efficiency

Transportation

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management

Natural and Working Lands

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Projections in Texas