| 1 | 1 | | 2009S0211-1 01/30/09 |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Watson S.B. No. 608 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the creation of the Texas Center for Sustainable |
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| 8 | 8 | | Business. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 447, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | adding Section 447.014 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 447.014. CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS. (a) To |
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| 13 | 13 | | assist Texas businesses in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and |
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| 14 | 14 | | transitioning successfully to a low-carbon economy, the state |
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| 15 | 15 | | energy conservation office shall establish and oversee the Texas |
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| 16 | 16 | | Center for Sustainable Business. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (b) The center shall develop a sustainable business action |
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| 18 | 18 | | plan that will provide a balanced assessment of strategies for |
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| 19 | 19 | | assisting businesses in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (c) The state energy conservation office may employ an |
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| 21 | 21 | | executive director for the center and may contract with a private |
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| 22 | 22 | | entity or an institution of higher education to assist in |
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| 23 | 23 | | performing the duties of the center. |
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| 24 | 24 | | (d) The state energy conservation office shall appoint the |
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| 25 | 25 | | sustainable business advisory council. Membership on the advisory |
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| 26 | 26 | | council shall consist of at least one representative from each of |
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| 27 | 27 | | the following: |
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| 28 | 28 | | (1) the electric utility industry; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (2) the manufacturing industry; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (3) the petrochemical industry; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (4) the environmental industry; |
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| 32 | 32 | | (5) the transportation industry; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (6) the building industry; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (7) higher education; and |
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| 35 | 35 | | (8) state government. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (e) The center may establish other advisory councils, task |
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| 37 | 37 | | forces, or commissions it deems necessary to accomplish the |
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| 38 | 38 | | center's purposes under this section. |
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| 39 | 39 | | (f) In developing the sustainable business action plan |
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| 40 | 40 | | required by Subsection (b), the center shall: |
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| 41 | 41 | | (1) work with the Texas Commission on Environmental |
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| 42 | 42 | | Quality and the United States Environmental Protection Agency to |
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| 43 | 43 | | create an accounting of greenhouse gas emissions in this state; |
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| 44 | 44 | | (2) determine the total amount of carbon dioxide |
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| 45 | 45 | | emissions in this state in 2005 and recommend practices, |
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| 46 | 46 | | strategies, and policies that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions |
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| 47 | 47 | | in this state to within a range of 97 percent to 102 percent of 2005 |
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| 48 | 48 | | levels by 2012, to within a range of 80 percent to 86 percent of 2005 |
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| 49 | 49 | | levels by 2020, to 58 percent of 2005 levels by 2030, and to 20 |
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| 50 | 50 | | percent of 2005 levels by 2050; |
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| 51 | 51 | | (3) establish a registry of actions to reduce carbon |
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| 52 | 52 | | dioxide emissions that have been taken by Texas businesses since |
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| 53 | 53 | | January 1, 2000, and work with the United States Environmental |
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| 54 | 54 | | Protection Agency to recognize and give credit for early action |
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| 55 | 55 | | under federal carbon emissions limits adopted after September 1, |
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| 56 | 56 | | 2009; |
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| 57 | 57 | | (4) identify and prioritize strategies for reducing |
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| 58 | 58 | | emissions of greenhouse gases in this state that will result in net |
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| 59 | 59 | | savings or in no additional financial cost to consumers or |
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| 60 | 60 | | businesses of this state; |
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| 61 | 61 | | (5) identify, assess, and promote commercialization |
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| 62 | 62 | | of technology that will achieve the greatest greenhouse gas |
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| 63 | 63 | | reductions at the lowest cost; |
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| 64 | 64 | | (6) identify available grants for applied research to |
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| 65 | 65 | | develop new technologies and other practical solutions to reduce |
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| 66 | 66 | | greenhouse gas emissions; and |
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| 67 | 67 | | (7) assess the costs and benefits of joining the |
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| 68 | 68 | | Southwest Climate Change Initiative or another regional |
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| 69 | 69 | | initiative. |
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| 70 | 70 | | (g) The center annually shall submit a plan to the governor |
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| 71 | 71 | | and the legislature presenting the assessments and recommendations |
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| 72 | 72 | | required by Subsection (f). |
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| 73 | 73 | | SECTION 2. The Texas Center for Sustainable Business is |
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| 74 | 74 | | eligible to receive grants from the Texas Enterprise Fund to fund |
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| 75 | 75 | | its duties under Section 447.014, Government Code, as added by this |
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| 76 | 76 | | Act, during the state fiscal biennium beginning September 1, 2009. |
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| 77 | 77 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 78 | 78 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 79 | 79 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 80 | 80 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 81 | 81 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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