LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                              April 23, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable David Sibley, Chair, Senate Committee on
               Business & Commerce
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  SB1825  by Sibley (Relating to state energy policy and
               the creation, powers, and duties of the Texas Energy
               Policy Council.), As Introduced
  
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*  No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.        *
*                                                                        *
*  The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal      *
*  basis for an appropriation of funds to    implement the provisions    *
*  of the bill.                                                          *
**************************************************************************
  
The bill would create the nine member Texas Energy Policy Council
consisting of the chairman of the Public Utility Commission, the chairman
of the Railroad Commission, the chairman of the Texas Natural Resource
Conservation Commission, two state senators, two state representatives,
an academic appointed by the Governor, and the executive director of the
State Energy Conservation Office housed within the Comptroller of Public
Accounts. The Council would be charged with the duty to establish
statewide energy policy and to submit a long-term statewide energy plan
to the Legislature by December 1, 2002.  Recommendations for plan
revisions would be submitted to the Legislature by December 1st of each
even-numbered year.  The bill would prohibit Council members from
receiving compensation but would allow reimbursement of actual expenses.

Though the bill would fund the Council through appropriations of oil
overcharge funds, it is assumed that the amount of necessary
reimbursement would be minimal and therefore insignificant to the total
amount of oil overcharge funds.

The bill would take effect on September 1, 2001.
  
Local Government Impact
  
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
  
  
Source Agencies:   475   Office of Public Utility Counsel, 582   Texas
                   Natural Resource Conservation Commission
LBB Staff:         JK, JO, KM