By Lauren Fairbanks and J Pete Laney
TAD governmental relations
The Texas Association of Dairymen governmental relations team is following a number of topics at the Texas Capitol, in addition to the political campaigns that traditionally kick into higher gear following Labor Day as the Nov. 3 election gets closer.
New World Screwworm (NWS) Update
Reports of new cases have been slowing, and currently there are very few active cases. That’s good news, but now isn’t the time for dairy farmers and other livestock producers to let down their guard. So far, New Mexico is the only other state to have a reported NWS case, and controlment measures have kept the spread from the Texas/Mexico border confined to just 17 counties in the southern part of Texas, as of Sept. 13. You can find current case numbers and an interactive map here.
The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) issued new requirements for all cattle imports from Mexico as of Aug. 24. These requirements include complying with moving requirements under Title 4, Part 2, §§ 51.7 and 51.8 of the Texas Administrative Code, which are to hold an official radio frequency identification device (RFID), contain an electronic certificate of veterinary inspection (eCVI), and obtain an entry permit prior to entering Texas. This TAHC order applies to all Mexican-imported cattle moved into Texas, whether they stay in Texas or move to another state.
Another important milestone was reached on Aug. 31 when TAHC released the first eligible NWS Infested Zones in Texas. Movement restrictions were lifted for the entirety of Infested Zones 02.A and 03. Other Infested Zones have since been released: You can find all these orders here, under the “Released Area Executive Director Orders” tab.
To verify if a premise falls under an NWS Infested Zone, check the TAHC NWS interactive zone map. General information on these zones and zone release is available in USDA APHIS’ New World Screwworm Response Playbook.
Texas Nutrition Guidelines Published
In 2025, the Texas Legislature established the Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee (TNAC) to study the impact of nutrition on human health, provide reviews and education of scientific studies on the effects of ultra-processed foods on human health, and create dietary and nutritional guidelines. Every year, the committee must report its findings and publish nutritional guidelines. TNAC on Sept. 10 released its annual report on nutrition education, which incorporates dairy. You can also learn more in this Texas Department of State Health Services press release. Dairy MAX has been closely monitoring the work of the committee to ensure that dairy is accurately represented and has been in close touch with the Texas Association of Dairymen as work on the guidelines progressed.
PUC and ERCOT Update
Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to conduct a comprehensive verification and audit of all data centers advancing through ERCOT’s interconnection process. The audit must be completed before any data center project can move forward. Any project that fails to comply with the requirements set forth by the PUC and ERCOT will be denied connection to the Texas grid. Abbott ordered the audit after ERCOT’s interconnection request queue reached 474 GW, a record high demand. ERCOT, in response, delayed its Batch Zero transmission planning study in order to allow more review of the state’s large load and interconnection demand and process.
On Aug. 20, three administrative law judges with the State Office of Administrative Hearings expressed their disapproval of the East-to-West 765 kV transmission lines on procedural grounds. Oncor and LCRA applied for Certificates of Convenience and Necessity (CCN) to build lines from Bell County to Big Hill to Sand Lake, but a group of landowners challenged the CCN, claiming the companies did not show proper notification or necessity for the project. In response, the judges submitted their recommendation for denial to the PUC, which is now reviewing the CCN of Oncor and LCRA.
On Sept. 9, PUC Chairman Thomas Gleeson issued a memorandum stating his desire to send the case back to the SOAH judges to further address the issue.
In a separate PUC open meeting on Aug. 28, the PUC voted to move forward CCNs for the Dinosaur-Longshore 765 kV project. More details on this decision can be found here.
Around the Texas Capitol
The Texas House Committee on Agriculture and Livestock met on Aug. 18 to review and discuss the implementation of HB 43 by Rep. Stan Kitzman (R-Pattison), which relates to the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority (TAFA) and certain programs it administers. Under the bill, $100 million was invested in TAFA to fund farmers, ranchers and agricultural infrastructure. The AgLink Continuity Grant Program, which was designed to help non-producer agricultural first handlers such as agricultural operations and infrastructure, also was widely discussed. In addition, the committee also heard from leaders of the Texas Department of Agriculture, Texas Animal Health Commission, Soil & Water Conservation Board, Farm Bureau, Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation, and many other agriculture witnesses.
The Texas House Natural Resources Committee, chaired by Rep. Cody Harris (R-Palestine), conducted its interim hearing in Weslaco to discuss regional water planning, infrastructure planning and supply strategies overseen by the Texas Water Development Board.
The Texas House State Affairs Committee, chaired by Rep. Ken King (R-Canadian), convened a 12-hour long hearing on SB 6 and two interim charges: data centers and the regulatory and planning process of 765 kV transmission lines. The committee heard testimony from both invited witnesses, including PUC Chairman Thomas Gleason, ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas and Office of Public Utility Counsel Chief Ben Barkley, and public testimonies. Witnesses shared their dissatisfaction with the 180-day approval timeline in HB 5066. This was closely followed by PUC staff admitting the numerous filings limited landowners’ ability to participate in procedural grounds. Gleason shared that the PUC is considering the implementation of a 12CP method rather than the current 4CP model as well as increasing interval lengths from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. This is intended to better allocate transmission costs, so as not to unfairly burden residential customers.
Special Election
Gov. Abbott issued a proclamation announcing Tuesday, Nov. 3 as the special election date for the Texas Senate District 22 seat recently vacated by Sen. Brian Birdwell. That is the same day as the general election. Early voting for both will begin Monday, Oct. 19.
