Texas is growing. Projections by the Comptroller of Public Accounts indicate that our Gross State Product will double in the next twenty years from $887.75 billion to $1.61 trillion. Similarly, the Texas State Data Center projects a 2030 population as high as 41 million; nearly double our current population. A growing Texas needs affordable and reliable energy and a robust infrastructure that includes water, highways, pipelines, and electricity, along with a clean environment.

The growing Texas economy and population will demand more energy to cool and heat homes and sustain the growing manufacturing base. This energy must be both reliable and affordable if it is to continue to underpin Texan's quality of life and the state's strong economic growth. Conservation, energy efficiency and demand-side management are all tools that must be expanded. However, according to estimates by the Electric Reliability
Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), our current power infrastructure is insufficient to meet future demand. Beginning with the summer of 2009, reserve margins could dip to unreliable levels. It is imperative to meet future demand in a manner that is mindful of both free markets and the environment.