Clean air, clean water, and resilient communities should be treated as core economic priorities. Chris will push for transparency and accountability for high-demand projects, a weather-ready power grid, long-term drought preparedness through conservation and supply investments, and protection of water resources by strengthening groundwater safeguards, and enforcement to reduce pollution and emissions as Texas grows.

Sustainable Growth: Transparency

• Push for clear, public transparency requirements for large water and energy users—like data centers—so residents can see how much water is being consumed, when electricity demand peaks, what upgrades are needed, and who pays for them.

• Protect taxpayers and reliability before approving large-load projects. Ensure interconnection studies, local upgrade needs, and cost responsibility are disclosed in plain language so communities aren’t surprised by higher bills or weaker reliability.

• Plan for growth responsibly. Ensure large new loads, especially high-demand industrial facilities and data centers, pay their fair share for needed infrastructure and reliability improvements.

Disaster & Infrastructure Preparedness

• Build a resilient, weather-ready power grid. Prioritize reliability upgrades that keep the lights on during extreme heat and winter storms, with clear performance standards and consequences for repeated failures.

• Drought Preparedness: invest in long-term supply and reliability. Strengthen statewide drought preparedness by funding conservation, reuse, efficiency, and regional projects that protect Texas’ water future for families, agriculture, and business.

• Protect critical infrastructure and vulnerable Texans. Require stronger continuity plans for hospitals, water systems, and emergency services, and improve outage communication and protections for medically vulnerable Texans.

Water Security & Air Quality

• Safeguard communities during rapid growth. Require environmental impact reviews and public notice for high-pollution projects, and ensure local residents have a meaningful voice before permits are issued or expanded.

• Protect Texas rivers, aquifers, and rural wells. Strengthen groundwater management, require responsible permitting and mitigation for high-impact projects, and protect recharge zones to prevent over-pumping and long-term supply degradation.

• Reduce exposure to harmful emissions and dust. Support targeted measures that limit particulate pollution and toxic exposure, especially in areas near concrete batch plants, construction zones, and major roadways, through stronger permitting conditions, operational best practices, and compliance inspections.