By State Representative Brooks Landgraf
As a general rule, if California is doing something, it’s a safe bet to do the opposite. It’s no secret here in West Texas that many in Washington, DC get this rule straight backwards, but unfortunately some politicians in our great state do too.
In July of last year, the state of California, home to Hollywood liberals and state budget deficits, enacted its ban on all small gasoline engines, including lawn mowers, generators gas and electric washing machines.
Concerned that they would miss out on the new liberal fad, the left-wing politicians who now run the Dallas City Hall recently proposed a plan to phase out the use of small gasoline engines by 2027.
We’ve known for years that big Texas cities regularly enact ordinances that limit individual freedom, restrict business, and make government bigger. Fortunately, most of these ordinances are far away where the only people they can harm are those who live in major population centers.
But Dallas’ engine ban is different and would directly hurt working people in West Texas by reducing demand for gasoline, discouraging new investment in the Permian Basin and weakening the Texas economy as a whole.
In response to these threats, I proudly sponsored Senate Bill 1017 and authored Senate Bill 2374.
This week, I am pleased to announce that the Texas House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 1017 by a vote of 116 to 30. SB 1017 boldly stands up to big-city politicians who want California to be our Texas in two ways.
First, SB 1017 ensures that local governments cannot adopt or enforce any regulations or ordinances that limit access to gasoline, diesel, or any other fuel source.
Second, SB 1017 prohibits local governments from directly or indirectly prohibiting or restricting the use, sale, or lease of an engine based on its fuel source.
Since my first election to the Texas State House, I have fought hard for the interests of West Texans. As your state representative and chairman of the House Committee on Environmental Regulation, I will continue to fight for common sense legislation like this that makes Texas more free and protects oil and gas jobs. No big city politician will go to California, our Texas, under my watch. I will continue to fight and win for West Texans and our way of life, whether they are politicians in the Dallas city hall, politicians in the Texas House, or politicians in the White House.
God bless Texas!
