Studying Intensive Energy Development (Oil & Gas, Wind and Solar) in West Texas (Melinda Taylor, University of Texas School of Law)

“Everyone is familiar with the boom of energy expansion in west Texas — fracking and wind and solar investment.  The project we are working on is focusing on three relatively yet-untouched counties in west Texas that host beautiful, iconic landscape features. It is meant to inject a planning process into that energy boom.  We are working on a community-based landscape conservation plan for the region.

“Nobody on our project wants to discourage renewable energy development in Texas, but there are significant impacts on the surface from intensive renewables development.  The impacts we’re concerned about are fragmentation of habitat, loss of habitat, erosion, land related issues …”

“One of the things we are tiptoeing around right now is that there have been some pretty vocal opponents of wind in Texas, especially during this legislative session.  We don’t want to be seen as supporting an effort that is anti-green power.”

Melinda Taylor is is a Senior Lecturer and Associate Director of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Center for Energy, Law, and Business. Prior to joining the Texas Law faculty, she was the director of the Ecosystem Restoration Program of Environmental Defense, has also served as deputy general counsel of the National Audubon Society in Washington, D.C. and was an associate at Bracewell & Patterson in Washington, D.C.