The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals just handed Texas a major victory. They ruled that Texas can protect our power grid from companies controlled by China and other foreign adversaries. Federal review does NOT override Texas law. In plain English: A Chinese-owned company tried to force ERCOT to hook their solar project up to the Texas grid. Texas said no under the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act (LSIPA), which blocks foreign adversaries from getting access to critical infrastructure. The company claimed federal rules stopped Texas from doing this. The court disagreed and sided with Texas. Why this matters for every county: Your county has the same tools Van Zandt used. You can pause or stop solar, wind, and battery projects while you check for Chinese-made batteries (like CATL), cybersecurity risks, fire safety issues, and compliance with state law. You don’t have to just hope the state or federal government will handle it. Local action is allowed and now has stronger legal backing. This is exactly why Van Zandt County’s temporary green energy moratorium is valid. It gives the county time to review projects while Attorney General Ken Paxton investigates CATL and other Chinese components in Texas battery storage. Other counties can do the same if they have concerns about foreign tech on their land or near their communities. Texas is allowed to put its own people and power grid first. This ruling makes that clearer than ever. Share this with your county commissioners. The law is on our side.
Read the Case here:
Van Zandt Green Energy Moratorium:
https://www.vanzandtcounty.org/upload/page/2685/2026/Van%20Zandt%20County%20Green%20Energy%20Moratorium%2002112026%20Full.pdf
