Samuel Case, FISM News
As the United States recovers from the now infamous Solar Winds hack that compromised major companies and government officials weigh warnings from the intelligence community regarding cyber threats, the state of Texas is taking action to help secure the country from foreign interference.
On Monday, the Texas Senate passed the “Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act,” which prohibits “contracts or other agreements with certain foreign-owned companies in connection with critical infrastructure in this state.” The countries of concern in the legislation include China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.
Texas State Senator Donna Campbell went on CNBC’s Squawk Box to explain the importance of the bill. In discussing what kind of behavior the bill would try to curb, Campbell gave a real life example of a Chinese billionaire purchasing a 200 square mile piece of land in Texas under the pretense of building a wind farm.
The parcel of land is strategically located near Laughlin Air Force Base, one of the U. S. Air Force’s largest pilot training bases. Foreign Policy reports the land is owned by Sun Guangxin, “a former Chinese army officer and the richest person in China’s embattled Xinjiang province,” the area in which China has been committing genocide against the ethnic Uighur population. Foreign Policy notes the Trump administration did not attempt to stop the deal despite security concerns from political allies such as Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
Senator Campbell called the wind farm “a Trojan horse.” She said the “Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act” will guard against potential foreign threats disguised as corporate transactions by protecting “communications, cybersecurity, our electric grid, hazardous waste, and our water system.”
"It looks more like a Trojan Horse where if hostile countries invaded our infrastructure it could be catastrophic," says @DonnaCampbellTX. "This critical infrastructure includes communications, cybersecurity, our electric grid, hazardous waste, our water system." pic.twitter.com/wQPLqFemjN
— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) April 27, 2021
Watch FISM founder Dan Celia give his take on the matter: