Texas Lawmakers Advance Bills to Protect Oil and Gas From Climate Initiatives

ANDREWS, TX - JANUARY 20: An oil pumpjack works at dawn in the Permian Basin oil field on January 20, 2016 in the oil town of Andrews, Texas. Despite recent drops in the price of oil, many residents of Andrews, and similar towns across the Permian, are trying to take the long view and stay optimistic. The Dow Jones industrial average plunged 540 points on Wednesday after crude oil plummeted another 7% and crashed below $27 a barrel. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Texas lawmakers this week advanced bills aimed at shielding the state’s oil and gas industry from climate initiatives pushed by the Biden administration.

The Texas House on Tuesday approved Senate Bill 13, which requires the state’s comptroller to prepare, maintain and update a list of all companies that boycott energy companies. The state may then divest funds from those firms unless they cease boycotting energy companies within 90 days of receiving a written warning from state governmental entities, the legislation states.