A Chinese billionaire who used to be a captain in China’s military and has long ties to the Chinese Communist Party bought a huge amount of land in West Texas, right near an Air Force base.
He tried to build a big wind farm on that land and plug it directly into Texas’s power grid. Texas lawmakers saw the risk and passed a law in 2021 to stop people or companies from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea from getting control or access to things like our power grid. That law worked. The wind farm project was blocked from connecting to the grid, and the original Chinese-linked plan was shut down. Neighboring ranchers later sued the grid operator to make sure it stayed shut down.
Even though the wind farm was stopped, companies tied to the same man still own a lot of that land. Now Texas is planning massive new high-voltage power lines across the state. Some of the routes go right near or across land still owned by those companies. The head of the state’s utility commission was named in the related lawsuit, so he knows exactly who this is.
This is the kind of situation the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act was meant to prevent. Giving someone with those background ties a stake in or next to critical power lines creates a real risk to the grid that powers homes, hospitals, and businesses.
Texas already has a law that stops people from certain countries from buying new land. It should go further and give the state a way to deal with land that was already bought by people or companies with Chinese military or government ties, especially when that land sits under or next to vital infrastructure or military bases.
The 765kv lines clearly need to be stopped for many reasons, and this just proves that further. Potential vulnerabilities from adversaries should be a no brainer, especially when the chairman for the Public Utility Commission of Texas is fully aware of who this man is and his ties to the CCP military.
If you want these lines STOPPED until the land ownership and security risks are fully reviewed, YOU can submit a public comment to the PUCT on Docket 59336 (Howard to Solstice 765 kV line). Go to the PUCT website, search for Docket 59336, and use the Interchange Filer to file a comment. Tell them the lines should not move forward until the known foreign ownership issues near the route are addressed and the grid is protected under the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act.
The U.S. military is already preparing for the possibility that the power grid could be attacked or go down. Under a new program called FORTRESS America, major military bases are being set up so they can keep running on their own power even if the civilian grid fails. They are getting ready for that risk.
The question is whether the rest of us are doing the same.
Are you prepared to lose power if a man such as this or his allies are able to cause damage to our power grid? How well protected do you think our grid actually is?
Comment below and let me know your thoughts!
Learn More about this from American Energy Works:
LSIPA:
Federal Court Documents:
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67422180/ward-walker-seven-oaks-ranch-llc-v-brazos-highland-properties-lp/?fbclid=IwY2xjawVPRopleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mBWJyaWQRMUtFTWphdVpCQVJGMllkejhzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEfWxPtysVvD4xsHZXoGdA1LHZ9oLQGfLCy9Myf_fD7KrP-5oqfxODKT1Bz_9I_aem_nq5ipevwHFVwbsvaRDcpmQ
