Texas Can Lead America’s Dependable Energy Future

Every morning, Texas families flip a switch, turn a dial, and expect the lights to come on. Every day, Texas manufacturers fire up their plants expecting the power to hold. That expectation—power on demand—is the foundation everything else in our economy is built on. 

Texas has spent decades earning the right to call itself the energy capital of the world. We are the nation’s top oil and gas producer, responsible for 42% of America’s crude oil and 27% of its marketed natural gas. Our 32 refineries process about a third of the nation’s crude oil supply. And our two nuclear power plants, the South Texas Project and Comanche Peak, help keep the lights on around the clock.  

This is the result of a deliberate, all-of-the-above approach that says yes to homegrown energy instead of standing in its way, like some other states. 

However, holding the title of energy capital comes with a responsibility to keep earning it, and the next chapter of America’s energy story is being written now. As Texas land commissioner, I oversee more than 13 million acres of state land—land that has powered classrooms through the Permanent School Fund, Texas’ public education endowment. This revenue has helped fund schools across the state and can also power the next era of American energy independence.

That’s why the General Land Office (GLO) has issued a series of Requests for Information inviting energy innovators to bring their best ideas for developing our state lands. The GLO is seeking out the next generation of energy industries, including geothermal energy leasing, salt-cooled nuclear technology, small modular reactors, and natural gas power plants—the kind of dependable, always-on power that doesn’t depend on the wind blowing or the sun shining.

Texas is already home to pioneering work on salt-cooled reactors at Abilene Christian University and small modular reactor research through the Texas A&M System. Our job at the GLO is to make sure state land isn’t an obstacle to that innovation, but a launchpad for it. This is the Texas Engine at work. 

Energy innovation is about giving Texas families the lower bills they need to thrive, Texas businesses the certainty they need to invest and expand, and Texas manufacturers the confidence they need to build the next plant here instead of overseas. Dependable power is what lets a small manufacturer in Tyler add a second shift, a rancher in the Panhandle keep the water pumping through a summer drought, and a young family in the Rio Grande Valley keep the air conditioning running without dreading the bill. 

Energy dominance shows up in paychecks, job postings, and new plants breaking ground across our state. President Donald Trump has made clear that reclaiming America’s energy leadership means cutting the red tape that has slowed projects for years and letting American ingenuity do what it does best. Texas intends to lead that effort the same way it has led every other energy chapter in this country’s history. 

Texans didn’t get here by being timid, and we won’t stay here by standing still. Geothermal, advanced nuclear, and technologies not yet invented will all have a home on Texas land. Because when it comes to power for American families, businesses, and industry, “on demand” shouldn’t be a slogan; it should be a promise.

We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal.

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