Honorable Troy Fraser, Chair, Senate Committee on Natural Resources
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB199 by Watson (Relating to the evaluation by applicants for permits for certain electric generating facilities of water-efficient cooling technologies.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would require electric generating facilities that use water cooling technologies to submit to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) an evaluation of water-efficient cooling technologies, including dry cooling, as an alternative to the use of water cooling when they submit applications for a new permit, a permit amendment, or a permit renewal by prohibiting the TCEQ from issuing authorization for applications that do not contain such an evaluation.
The TCEQ reports that the agency is not authorized by the Texas Clean Air Act to withhold, void, or deny a permit based on evaluations of water-efficient technologies. The TCEQ assumes that it would not be required to deny authorization for permit actions based on evaluations of water efficient technologies for electric generating facilities.
The TCEQ reports that the agency would use existing resources to implement the provisions of the bill.
Local Government Impact
Local government-owned electric generating facilities could incur costs to pay for a third party to provide a written evaluation of water-efficient cooling technologies if they do not have staff in-house to perform the evaluation. This estimate does not assume such costs would be significant. A local government is not expected to change to water-efficient cooling technologies unless there is an economic benefit to do so.