Great HUGE news! Last night, the House Calendars Committee chose to put SB 541 – Sen Watson’s bill that would establish a state-wide goal of generating 1,500 mega watts from utility-scale renewable energy – on the Major State Calendar tomorrow. This bill would lay the foundation for the development of large-scale renewable power in Texas. Coupled with Sen Fraser’s SB 545, these two bills would catapult Texas to the lead in renewable energy and create a unprecedented opportunity for our state to expand its reach in the energy industry while helping Texas meet its growing energy needs with clean energy.

The challenge: not only is time short (there are only seven days left in the session and 36 hours until all Senate Bills must pass 2nd reading in the House) – the Texas House has come to a virtual standstill over the last four days. The time has come for all Texans to ask their representatives to put aside the partisan issues that are keeping them from taking up the business of our state. There are many extremely important issues that remain undecided at this time. The Alliance for a Clean Texas believes that clean energy is one of the crucial issues that the House must take up before the midnight deadline tomorrow.

Texans want to breathe cleaner air. They want their water to be used sustainably. They want their state to remain a world leader in energy innovation and production. They want their children to grow up to in a state where the jobs of the 21st century economy are plentiful. They want to be proud of their state – for its historic leadership in energy, for its great gifts of natural resources, and for its unique ability to lead our nation (and our world) into a cleaner, healthier future.

Call your representative right now. Ask her or him to vote for both solar bills. To stop stalling. To take action. This person is your representative in Austin. It’s time for all of us to act on behalf of our state. As we all know, what we do in Texas matters. Let’s show the world that Texas is ready to lead the way.

Great news! SB 545 has been placed on the House Major State Calendar for tomorrow (Monday May 25th). This is a major breakthrough for solar and other developing renewable energy in Texas. ACT cannot stress enough how essential it is for the 81st Legislature to pass this bill.

Even though the Texas House has been at a vitrual standstill over the past three days, believe it or not, there’s still time enough for the House to take up this bill. The deadline for Senate bills to pass to second reading in the House is midnight on Tuesday May 26th. Here’s what you can do right now to help Texas go solar in 2009.

Please contact your representative to let her or him know that you support SB 545. Texas can be the nation’s leader in renewable energy if we make this commitment right now. Making solar and other renewable energy a part of Texas’ energy future will benefit both our economy and our environment. 2009 is the year for Texas to take bold action on this crucial issue.

Contact information for each representative is available here. You may also find out who represents you if you’re not sure.

Thank you for your help on this important bill. We’ll continue to update the ACT website regularly and post breaking news on Twitter.