HB 144

"✅ HB 144 – Finally, Texas is Taking Utility Pole Safety Seriously...But the Follow-Through Will Matter

After one of the deadliest wildfires in Texas history...the Smokehouse Creek Fire...many of us were left asking: how could something like this happen?

Turns out, a single electric utility pole that wasn’t properly maintained may have sparked it. Enter HB 144, a bill that takes a much-needed step to prevent something like this from happening again.

What HB 144 says it does:
It requires every electric utility in Texas...whether it’s a big corporation, a city-run system, or a rural co-op...to create and submit a plan for inspecting their distribution poles. These are the poles that carry electricity through towns, along farms, and across highways.

The plan must include:
✔️ How they’ll inspect and maintain each pole
✔️ What standards they’ll use
✔️ How complaints from landowners will be handled
✔️ A timeline for inspections and repairs
✔️ A budget for getting it all done

They’ll have to report to the Public Utility Commission monthly...unless they prove themselves trustworthy for two years straight, in which case they can move to yearly updates.

That’s a big win. Why?
Because before now, there wasn’t any clear, enforceable process to make sure poles were safe, upright, or even weather-resistant. That’s a huge problem in wildfire-prone parts of Texas. This bill doesn’t just fix that...it creates a paper trail, a plan, and a way for regulators to spot who’s not doing their job.

So who pushed for it?
Support came from across the spectrum:
🔹 Ranchers and landowners tired of dangerous poles on their property
🔹 The Sierra Club and environmental groups sounding the alarm on fire risk
🔹 Some of the utilities themselves, who likely saw regulation coming and preferred a seat at the table

And who benefits?
✅ Texans living in rural areas where pole maintenance is too often ignored
✅ First responders, farmers, and neighbors in wildfire zones
✅ Utility companies who already inspect regularly...and now get credit for it

What’s still missing?
There’s no fine or penalty if a utility doesn’t follow through. The PUC can ask for changes, but there’s no hammer if a plan isn’t filed or executed properly. And some utilities might be able to submit older reports instead of full HB 144 plans...if those reports “substantially align.”

Bottom line:
This is a solid start. It doesn’t grab headlines, but it puts safety planning on record...and that matters. Now the question is: will utilities treat this seriously, or treat it like paperwork? And will the state back it up with real enforcement if they don’t?

We’ll be watching.

Quick ask, y’all...likes help the algorithm, but shares are what get the truth out.

If this bill affects you, your kids, your patients, your neighbors...please share it.

Too many Texans don’t know what’s being signed into law. And if we don’t share it, they won’t hear it. These bills move quietly. The consequences don’t.

It’s not about going viral. It’s about making sure the people who need to know...do know.

So if this post made you pause, think, or get fired up… don’t just like it. Send it. Share it. Say something.

✅ #HB144 #TexasWildfires #InfrastructureSafety #ElectricGrid #TexasPolicy"