Hill Country Chronicle

Legislation has been introduced in the Texas Senate that would prohibit Chinese citizens and/or Chinese government parties from acquiring a stake in Texas' "critical infrastructure."

Senate Bill 2116, which was introduced in the Senate on April 1 and sponsored by Sens. Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels) and Bob Hall (R-Edgewood), was created amongst national security concerns regarding China's history of engaging in long-term infrastructure projects in foreign countries.

“Sen. Cruz is particularly concerned by the threat of a Chinese-owned company erecting wind farms near Laughlin,” a spokesperson for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) told Foreign Policy, "China has demonstrated a willingness to invest billions of dollars in specific, targeted economic initiatives through private companies to expand the global reach of their security and espionage capabilities; not only will these wind farms near Laughlin affect training routes, they could also risk our national security.”

According to the State Department, China invests in long-term infrastructure and energy grid projects in foreign countries that can last 50-100 years to “entrench China's long-term access to local elites and confer power over key parts of the host country's critical infrastructure.”

The goal of Senate Bill 2116 is to put a stop to these types of CCP infrastructure takeovers in the United States, particularly in Texas.

Several congressional representatives on both sides of the aisle have expressed serious concerns for national security about Chinese-backed companies taking control of projects in Texas on renewable energy.

The bill could affect a number of Chinese investments in renewable energy already present in the state including GH America Energy, owned by China-based Guanghui Energy Co., Hill Country Chronicle previously reported. GH America Energy owns a wind farm in Val Verde County that has been a topic of concern for both its ownership and national security concerns.