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No thanks Joe?
Two years after President Joe Biden signed legislation to hand out billions in rebates to homeowners for energy efficiency upgrades that experts say will reduce the strain on power grids in heat waves and winter storms, progress is slow going in Texas and many other Republican-led states.
Reporter James Osborne writes that while New York, California and five other states are already making the rebates available for customers upgrading their heat pumps or air conditioning systems, 23 states including Texas have yet to submit their plans for doing so to the Department of Energy.
The $8.8 billion program, part of Democrats' massive 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, has become a political football ahead of next month's presidential election, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis initially vetoing a budget request by state officials to administer $346 million in rebates for consumers — before changing his mind this summer. South Dakota, led by Gov. Kristi Noem, an ally of former president Donald Trump, has declined to participate in the program altogether.
Trump has criticized the IRA as an attack on oil and other fossil fuels, raising the prospect of sections of the law being repealed should he be elected. Vice President Kamala Harris has championed the landmark legislation as instrumental to the nation's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In Texas, the stakes are particularly high. An estimated four million homes still run on out-of-date, inefficient home heating systems, a major contributor to the days-long power outages seen during winter storm Uri, said Doug Lewin, an energy consultant in Austin.
"The IRA efficiency programs would be a big help," he said. "There's a really big opportunity to lessen the risk of winter storm Uri redux."
Osborne has more here, including research from Texas A&M University scientists that showed how much of an impact the program could have on the grid.
 | Jeremy Wallace, Texas politics reporter |
Who's up, who's down
Up: Colin Allred.
Whether others think he won the debate or not on Tuesday, Allred felt good about his performance. "I had a lot of fun," Allred told me in San Antonio on Thursday. And maybe more importantly for his campaign, donors clearly felt good about his performance. His campaign announced they raised another $1 million off of the debate by Wednesday.
Down: US House Republicans.
They are clinging to a 4 seat majority in the U.S. House, but are being outspent in almost every one of the closest races around the nation. CNN reported that out of the 32 most competitive seats, Democrats had outraised Republicans in 30 of the seats, according to new campaign finance reports. While no Texas races are in those top 32, if control in the House flips to Democrats, the 25 Republicans from Texas in the House now would be back in the minority with a lot less influence over the national agenda.
What do you think? Hit reply and let me know.
What else is going on in Texas
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Pick of the day
Photo by: Getty / Susan Barber
As Election Day draws near, do you find yourself in difficult conversations or situations with friends or family members? Houston Chronicle readers are invited to a private Zoom event on Wednesday, October 23 at 12 p.m. CST with psychologist Dr. Alton Bozeman and psychotherapist Dr. Glenda Demas on how to navigate this charged election season with loved ones who disagree politically. During the webinar, they will discuss maintaining personal peace and bridging communication gaps, in addition to an interactive portion where therapists will weigh in on anonymously submitted questions.
What else I'm reading
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued a UT Southwestern associate professor and doctor for allegedly providing gender transition treatments to minors in the latest state action related to transgender issues. The Dallas Morning News reported that Paxton filed suit Thursday in state court in Collin County against Dr. May C. Lau, who he says provided treatments to 21 minors in the form of "high-dose cross-sex hormones and used false diagnoses and billing codes to mask the care."
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