Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D) introduced the Empower Energy Exporting Communities Act, legislation that would establish a trust fund for infrastructure and public services in communities near major oil and gas export ports.
The proposed Oil & Gas Community Trust Fund would be financed through 3% of corporate income tax revenues received from oil and gas companies. Gonzalez's office said the measure would not create a new tax, instead directing existing federal revenue toward eligible communities.
South Texas serves as a crucial gateway for the distribution of oil and gas exports to international markets; it's only right that our region directly benefits from the industries it supports.
I introduced a bill that would reinvest a portion of existing energy revenues to… pic.twitter.com/xWbbIl17Gk
— Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (@RepGonzalez) September 21, 2026
"South Texas serves as a crucial gateway for the distribution of oil and gas exports to international markets," said Gonzalez. "It is only right that our region directly benefits from the operations it supports."
The bill would make counties, parishes, municipalities, and Tribal communities located within 50 miles of a major oil and gas export eligible for payments from the fund. South Texas includes major energy export hubs such as the Port of Corpus Christi and Port of Brownsville.
Funds could only be used for infrastructure and public service investments, including roads, bridges, drinking water, and public education, according to Gonzalez's announcement.
"The establishment of a trust fund would not burden taxpaying Americans but instead reinvest already existing revenue from oil and gas companies to advance South Texas' infrastructure of opportunity," said Gonzalez.
Payments would also be limited based on each eligible community's share of national oil and gas exports, preventing a community from receiving more than its corresponding proportion of the trust fund.
