Texas Gov. Greg Abbott | Photo Courtesy of Office of Texas Governor
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott | Photo Courtesy of Office of Texas Governor
The Lonestar Infrastructure Protection Act was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on June 18 and seeks to stop adversarial foreign nations from taking control of Texas infrastructure with a specific focus on China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, the bill's language states.
The power grid, water treatment facilities, chemical plants and communication and cyber networks are infrastructure sectors protected by Senate Bill 2116.
The bill's summary states it relates to or prohibits “contracts or other agreements with certain foreign-owned companies in connection with critical infrastructure in this state.”
It was created during increasing "national security concerns" regarding China’s influence and control over Texas infrastructure, according to an article by the Hill Country Chronicle.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has said he is concerned about a Chinese-owned energy company building a wind energy plant in Laughlin, Texas.
"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," a spokesperson for Cruz told Foreign Policy, as reported by the Hill Country Chronicle.
Senate Bill 2116's goal is to stop Chinese-backed companies from gaining influence over Texas' infrastructure, the Hill Country Chronicle's article detailed.
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