LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
  
                              April 1, 1999
  
  
          TO:  Honorable J.E. "Buster" Brown, Chair, Senate Committee on
               Natural Resources
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  SB 766 by Brown, J. E. "Buster" (relating to the issuance
               of certain permits for the emission of air contaminants),
               Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
  
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*  No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.        *
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The bill would provide authority to the Texas Natural Resource
Conservation Commission (TNRCC) to adopt rules to set de minimis levels
of air contaminants, below which no air quality preconstruction
authorization would be necessary.  The bill would establish procedures
for the TNRCC to issue standard permits outside the rulemaking process.
A permit by rule would be authorized when the TNRCC finds that certain
types of facilities would not make a significant contribution to air
contaminants.

The bill would create a voluntary emission reduction permit process for
unpermitted, grandfathered facilities with a September 1, 2001 permit
application deadline.  The bill would authorize the TNRCC to issue
multiple plant permits for multiple existing facilities owned or operated
by the same person or persons under common control.

The TNRCC projects that the workload associated with implementing the
provisions of the bill would be reasonably absorbed with existing
resources.
  
Local Government Impact
  
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is
anticipated.
  
  
Source Agencies:   
LBB Staff:         JK, DE, NS