Highlights 77th Texas Legislature - Senate

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NATURAL RESOURCES/Air
77 th Texas Legislature
Motor vehicle purchase or lease incentive program:
Requires TNRCC and the comptroller to develop and implement a purchase or lease incentive program for
new light-duty motor vehicles.
New Technology Research and Development Program:
Establishes the Texas Council on Environmental Technology (mentioned above) to identify, evaluate, and
deploy new emissions-reducing technologies that show commercial promise to assist TNRCC and EPA in
the process of ensuring credit for new and innovative technological advancements.
Energy efficiency grant program:
Requires the PUC to:
• develop a program and provide grants or other funding to retire materials and appliances
contributing to peak energy demand in Texas; and
• seek to ensure the reduction of energy demand, peak loads, and associated emissions of air
contaminants.
Requires electric utilities, electric cooperatives, and municipal utilities to administer monies allocated by the
PUC, and any emissions reductions achieved under this program may not be used to satisfy similar
obligations under other state or federal laws or programs.
Requires the PUC to submit a report annually to TNRCC quantifying the reductions, by county, of energy
demand, peak loads, and air emissions achieved under this program.
Adopts the energy efficiency chapter of the International Residential Code for new single-family residential
construction in Texas and adopts the International Energy Conservation Code to achieve energy
conservation in all other new residential, commercial, and industrial construction.
Authorizes municipalities to adopt local amendments to these codes and to administer and enforce them.
Requires affected political subdivisions and counties to implement energy efficiency measures with regard
to the financing of existing buildings to reduce electricity consumption of existing buildings.
Requires the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to issue a specially designed "low-emissions vehicle"
insignia at the time of registration or re-registration of vehicles eligible for an incentive under the plan and
allow vehicles with an insignia to travel in preferential car pool or high occupancy vehicle lanes, regardless
of the number of occupants in the motor vehicle.
Requires TNRCC to take appropriate action, using information reported under this bill, for EPA to credit
emissions reductions achieved by the plan to the appropriate emissions reduction objectives in the SIP.
Senate Research Center 215