LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 79TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

May 6, 2005

TO:	Honorable Todd Staples, Chair, Senate Committee on Transportation & Homeland Security
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Deputy Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB1548 by Van de Putte (Relating to hydrogen-fueled vehicles and refueling stations.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would authorize the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to seek funding from public and private sources to acquire and operate hydrogen-fueled vehicles and to establish and operate hydrogen-refueling stations in accordance with the provisions of the bill.  The bill would require TxDOT to establish and operate at least five hydrogen-refueling stations to be located in San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, El Paso, and near Interstate Highways 10 or 35 in Houston that would be accessible to the public, upon securing funding from public and/or private sources.  The bill would authorize TxDOT to purchase and operate in each city four vehicles with hydrogen internal combustion engines and either three fuel-cell vehicles, one hydrogen internal combustion engine bus, or one fuel-cell bus, upon receiving such funding.  The bill would also authorize TxDOT to establish hydrogen-refueling stations on the Trans-Texas Corridor. The bill would require TxDOT monitor and analyze the emissions from hydrogen-fueled vehicles purchased pursuant to the provisions of the bill as compared to conventional internal combustion engines and report the results of the analysis to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

 

Based on the assumption of TxDOT that any funding received from private and public sources for the purposes of the bill would be in an amount sufficient to cover the cost of implementing the provisions of the bill, it is assumed that duties and responsibilities associated with implementing the provisions of the bill would be accomplished utilizing existing resources.  In the event that secured public and private funding would not be available in an amount sufficient to cover the entire costs of implementing the provisions of the bill, it is assumed that State Highway Funds would be used to cover the difference.

 

The bill would take effect on September 1, 2005.

Local Government Impact

No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

582 Commission on Environmental Quality, 601 Department of Transportation

LBB Staff:

JOB, SR, TG, MW