By Madden H.C.R. No. 90 77R3078 NBH-D HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, Of primary concern to the State of Texas is the 1-2 quality of the environment and the health of its more than 20 1-3 million residents; accordingly, the state seeks to make every 1-4 reasonable effort to comply with the federal Clean Air Act and 1-5 adhere to the State Implementation Plan (SIP), which was developed 1-6 with considerable public input and approved by the federal 1-7 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and 1-8 WHEREAS, However, Texas is a large and highly populated state 1-9 that is home to many vital industries, including some such as 1-10 petroleum refineries and energy producers that rely heavily on 1-11 fossil fuels, and all of these factors invariably complicate state 1-12 attainment efforts; and 1-13 WHEREAS, Most urban areas across the country, including 1-14 several in Texas, have become or are close to becoming "ozone 1-15 nonattainment areas" according to the standards set by the EPA; and 1-16 WHEREAS, Traditional air quality control strategies have 1-17 focused on emission sources within a designated nonattainment area 1-18 and have typically included specific controls on industrial 1-19 facilities and vehicle emissions within the area; and 1-20 WHEREAS, Strategies to reduce vehicular emissions in areas 1-21 with serious pollution problems include mandatory emissions testing 1-22 and maintenance for automobiles, carpooling programs, 1-23 high-occupancy vehicle lanes on major roadways, mandatory use of 1-24 reformulated gasoline, and strict emission requirements for fleet 2-1 vehicles; many of these measures entail indeterminate costs that 2-2 are spread in varying proportions among the public and private 2-3 sectors as well as individual consumers; and 2-4 WHEREAS, Strategies aimed at controlling industrial 2-5 emissions, on the other hand, target specific industries and 2-6 facilities, which must bear the initial costs of installing 2-7 emission control technologies, although the public eventually 2-8 shares in this burden as costs are passed on to individual 2-9 consumers; and 2-10 WHEREAS, While pollution control technologies can be 2-11 effective in reducing emissions, the technology that many companies 2-12 are required by the SIP to purchase can cause a tremendous 2-13 financial strain on an individual corporation and affect entire 2-14 industries; and 2-15 WHEREAS, Some industries, including aerospace manufacturing, 2-16 agricultural chemical production, gasoline terminals, and oil and 2-17 natural gas production and refineries must purchase costly maximum 2-18 achievable control technology (MACT) in order to be in compliance 2-19 with the SIP; and 2-20 WHEREAS, Small businesses, including dry cleaners, auto body 2-21 shops, and bakeries are not exempt and they too must bear the high 2-22 cost of compliance; some of these businesses will not be able to 2-23 afford the expensive technology and may be forced to close; and 2-24 WHEREAS, The high cost of pollution reduction efforts affects 2-25 consumers as well; many industries must pay exorbitant prices for 2-26 cleaner fuels, such as low-sulfur coal, and this cost is inevitably 2-27 passed on to those who purchase the goods; and 3-1 WHEREAS, While the state fully intends to comply with its 3-2 SIP, a comparison of the direct and indirect costs of various 3-3 strategies would enable it to more effectively direct its efforts 3-4 in this regard; now, therefore, be it 3-5 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas 3-6 hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to 3-7 modify the Clean Air Act to allow the Environmental Protection 3-8 Agency to permit states to consider costs when comparing various 3-9 emission control techniques; and, be it further 3-10 RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official 3-11 copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to 3-12 the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of 3-13 the senate of the United States Congress, and to all members of the 3-14 Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this 3-15 resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a 3-16 memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.