TO: | Honorable Kip Averitt, Chair, Senate Committee on Natural Resources |
FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
IN RE: | SB458 by Gallegos (Relating to allowing the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to impose more stringent conditions for existing air quality permits to avoid a condition of air pollution.), As Introduced |
The bill would allow the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to establish and enforce more stringent permit conditions for air quality permits if it is necessary to avoid a condition of air pollution. This would allow the agency to change and enforce new, more stringent permit conditions for previously issued permits. Under current law, the agency is restricted to changing permit conditions when a permit is being renewed.
The TCEQ reports that the bill's passage could result in an increase in revenues from permit fees because the agency could assess fees when permits are reopened. The number of permits that would need to be reopened in order to impose more stringent controls to avoid a condition of air pollution is not expected to be large, and therefore the increase in revenue is not expected to be significant.
Source Agencies: | 582 Commission on Environmental Quality
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LBB Staff: | JOB, SD, TL
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