Amend CSSB 655 (house committee printing) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTION to the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of the bill accordingly:

SECTION ____.  (a) In this section, "commission" means the Texas Oil and Gas Commission.

(b)  The commission shall conduct a study regarding the odorization of natural gas transported in gathering and transmission lines located in populated areas. At a minimum, the study must include an examination of:

(1)  the costs and benefits associated with odorizing natural gas under those circumstances, including any specific circumstances under which the benefits exceed the costs;

(2)  the chemical malodorants and odorization techniques that are available;

(3)  any specific circumstances under which odorization is an effective method for leak detection;

(4)  any product markets that are incompatible with the use of malodorants;

(5)  state and federal odorization requirements, including exemptions from those requirements; and

(6)  alternative leak detection methods.

(c)  At the commission's request, a state agency or local government shall provide information and assistance in conducting the study under this section.

(d)  Not later than December 1, 2012, the commission shall report the results of the study conducted under this section to the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, the presiding officer of the standing committee of the senate with primary jurisdiction over matters affecting natural resources, and the presiding officer of the standing committee of the house of representatives with primary jurisdiction over matters affecting energy resources.

(e)  This section expires January 1, 2013.