Honorable Geanie Morrison, Chair, House Committee on Environmental Regulation
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB911 by Zaffirini (relating to the eligibility for grants for natural gas fueling stations.), Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend Health and Safety Code, Chapters 393 and 394, to add additional interstate and state highways forming a southern triangle to the highways under the Alternative Fueling Facilities (AFF) program, the Clean Transportation Triangle (CTT) program, and the Texas Natural Gas Vehicle Grant Program (TNGVGP) that are eligible for Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) grant funding by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The bill would add the interstate highways connecting San Antonio to Corpus Christi and Laredo, and also adds state highways connecting Corpus Christi and Laredo.
The bill would expand the eligible highways under the CTT and the areas in which vehicles funded under the TNGVGP must travel at least 75 percent of annual mileage. Vehicles funded under the TNGVGP would be able to travel in and between the Corpus Christi, Laredo, and San Antonio areas in addition to existing areas under current law.
The bill's provisions relating to Health and Safety Code, Chapter 393, would only take effect if House Bill 14, or similar legislation that transfers provisions governing grants for natural gas vehicle fueling facilities in certain areas to the AFF program, becomes law.
The TCEQ would be required to modify grant materials and forms to implement the bill's provisions. Administrative costs to implement these changes are not expected to be significant. The agency reports that it would expect an increase in the number of eligible entities that could apply for CTT and TNGVGP grant funds.
This estimate assumes that no additional funds would be appropriated out of the General Revenue-Dedicated TERP Account No. 5071; the bill would simply modify the entities eligible to apply for funding from the CTT, AFF, and TNGVGP programs. Because the bill does not increase the maximum statutory allocation for CTT, AFF, and TNGVGP grant funding, there would be no reallocation of existing TERP Account No. 5071 funding with respect to the two programs affected by the bill.
Local Government Impact
The bill would expand the areas eligible for CTT funding and for operation of vehicles funded under the TNGVGP. Governmental entities in those additional areas could benefit if they would apply for a grant under the CTT Program and/or the TNGVGP and would be awarded funding.
Source Agencies:
582 Commission on Environmental Quality, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts