After 140 days at the Capitol in Austin, the Texas Legislature has just wrapped up its 89th session.
This year, state lawmakers passed over 1,200 bills. Among them were several important pieces of legislation focused on energy and the environment. Barring a veto from Gov. Greg Abbott, these will soon become law in Texas.
Here's a breakdown of some of those measures.
A push for water security and wildfire resilience
Abbott opened this year's legislative session by naming water as one of his top priorities.
"We will make the largest investment in water in the history of Texas," said Abbott in his State of the State address. "We will tap into new water supplies and repair pipes to save billions of gallons of water each year."
The numbers back up the need: According to the Texas Water Development Board, groundwater availability is expected to drop by 25% by 2070. Supply will be decreasing even as demand is expected to double – possibly much sooner.
Across the Texas Plains and Panhandle, farmers rely heavily on groundwater for irrigation, putting enormous pressure on the state's aquifers. But that's also changing in Texas.
"Our municipal demand is steadily increasing and will surpass the irrigation," said L'Oreal Stepney, chairwoman for the Texas Water Development Board, before lawmakers earlier in the session.
"Municipal is going to be the number one user, and it'll be here before we know it," she added.
A new bill, Senate Bill 7, would pump $1 billion each year into the Texas Water Fund. The money will go toward developing new water sources and shoring up old infrastructure — a lifeline for both farmers and growing cities.
Meanwhile, the Panhandle, still reeling from the state's largest-ever wildfire last year, saw movement on another front. Lawmakers passed SB 34, aimed at strengthening rural firefighting capacity — most of which relies on volunteers. The bill boosts potential grant funding and support for those departments.
Both the water and wildfire bills are now on Gov. Abbott's desk.
— Brad Burt, Texas Tech Public Media
Lawmakers say no to renewable energy limits – but yes to grid investment
One of the big questions this session: would Texas put the brakes on renewable energy?
Proposals like Senate Bill 715 and Senate Bill 388 sought to limit the growth of wind and solar – or at least make them more expensive to develop. Supporters argued that would help stabilize the grid. Critics warned it would only drive up costs.
In a rare alliance, environmental, business and renewable energy groups pushed back and both bills failed. Bryn Baker, senior policy director for Texas Energy Buyers Alliance, was among those leading the opposition.
"This is about cost and reliability. Full stop. And if you're talking about making things more expensive – you've got a whole bunch of folks interested and concerned," Baker said.
Instead, lawmakers approved a major expansion of the Texas Energy Fund: $5 billion more to help build new power plants and fund grid resilience projects.
— Mose Buchele, KUT Austin
Keeping chemical storage away from homes
Texas lawmakers have approved a ban on certain types of outdoor chemical storage facilities being located close to homes, a response to an Odessa-area industrial fire nearly a year ago that allegedly filled a neighborhood with "black sludge."
State Rep. Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) proposed the ban after the massive fire in July 2024 at Permian Basin Containers, a facility where a mix of oil industry-related chemicals and liquids were stored in stacked piles of large plastic tubs.
People living right next door to the facility said in a resulting lawsuit that the fire flooded their neighborhood with a mysterious sludge that seeped into homes and cars. The neighbors also reported a strong, noxious odor in the wake of the fire. Landgraf also raised concerns about the potential for groundwater contamination from the incident.
Landgraf's legislation, House Bill 3866, was sent to the governor's desk in the final days of the state's 2025 legislative session. It creates a ban on "intermediate bulk container recycling" facilities being located within 2,000 feet of a private residence.
» MORE: After West Texas fire, lawmakers approve ban on outdoor chemical storage facilities near homes
— Travis Bubenik, Marfa Public Radio
The Texas Newsroom is a public radio journalism collaboration that includes NPR, KERA in North Texas, Houston Public Media, KUT in Austin, Texas Public Radio in San Antonio and other stations across the state.