Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SR712 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		By: Seliger S.R. No. 712
	2	+	(In the Senate - Filed May 2, 2017; May 3, 2017, read first
	3	+	time and referred to Committee on Business & Commerce;
	4	+	May 21, 2017, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 8,
	5	+	Nays 0; May 21, 2017, sent to printer.)
	6	+	Click here to see the committee vote
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3	8
4	9		SENATE RESOLUTION
5		-	WHEREAS, Fossil fuels, including coal, natural gas, and
6		-	oil, currently meet more than three quarters of primary global
7		-	energy demand around the world and in the United States; and
8		-	WHEREAS, According to the International Energy Agency,
9		-	under current energy and environmental policies, fossil fuels
10		-	will continue to play a role of this magnitude for the next
11		-	quarter century or more; even assuming global adoption of
12		-	policies consistent with the agency's "climate-stabilizing" 450
13		-	Scenario, more than half of total worldwide and United States
14		-	energy demand would still be met by fossil fuels in 2040; and
15		-	WHEREAS, The United States Department of Energy has
16		-	reported that "carbon capture, utilization, and storage
17		-	technologies provide a key pathway to address the urgent United
18		-	States and global need for affordable, secure, resilient, and
19		-	reliable sources of clean energy"; environmental advocates who
20		-	recognize the value and enduring role of fossil fuels as an
21		-	essential source of energy have come to support the accelerated
22		-	development and broad deployment of carbon capture technologies
23		-	for fossil fuels as part of a sustainable energy future;
24		-	similarly, fossil energy advocates who have recognized the role
25		-	carbon capture can play in creating new opportunities support the
26		-	development and deployment of carbon capture technologies for
27		-	fossil fuels; and
28		-	WHEREAS, The United States and Texas have abundant
29		-	supplies of fossil energy, the production and use of which
30		-	provide important economic, energy, and national security
31		-	benefits to our nation and our state; Texas is the nation's
32		-	largest producer of natural gas, oil, lignite coal, and fossil
33		-	fuels in total, and it has the nation's largest proved reserves
34		-	of both natural gas and oil, as well as the ninth-largest
35		-	recoverable reserves of coal; it is the nation's largest consumer
36		-	of coal for electricity generation and the largest consumer of
37		-	natural gas for both electricity generation and industrial use;
38		-	77 percent of the electricity generated in Texas is produced from
39		-	the use of fossil fuels; and
	10	+	WHEREAS, Fossil fuels, including coal, natural gas, and oil,
	11	+	currently meet more than three quarters of primary global energy
	12	+	demand around the world and in the United States; and
	13	+	WHEREAS, According to the International Energy Agency, under
	14	+	current energy and environmental policies, fossil fuels will
	15	+	continue to play a role of this magnitude for the next quarter
	16	+	century or more; even assuming global adoption of policies
	17	+	consistent with the agency's "climate-stabilizing" 450 Scenario,
	18	+	more than half of total worldwide and United States energy demand
	19	+	would still be met by fossil fuels in 2040; and
	20	+	WHEREAS, The United States Department of Energy has reported
	21	+	that "carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies
	22	+	provide a key pathway to address the urgent United States and global
	23	+	need for affordable, secure, resilient, and reliable sources of
	24	+	clean energy"; environmental advocates who recognize the value and
	25	+	enduring role of fossil fuels as an essential source of energy have
	26	+	come to support the accelerated development and broad deployment of
	27	+	carbon capture technologies for fossil fuels as part of a
	28	+	sustainable energy future; similarly, fossil energy advocates who
	29	+	have recognized the role carbon capture can play in creating new
	30	+	opportunities support the development and deployment of carbon
	31	+	capture technologies for fossil fuels; and
	32	+	WHEREAS, The United States and Texas have abundant supplies
	33	+	of fossil energy, the production and use of which provide important
	34	+	economic, energy, and national security benefits to our nation and
	35	+	our state; Texas is the nation's largest producer of natural gas,
	36	+	oil, lignite coal, and fossil fuels in total, and it has the
	37	+	nation's largest proved reserves of both natural gas and oil, as
	38	+	well as the ninth-largest recoverable reserves of coal; it is the
	39	+	nation's largest consumer of coal for electricity generation and
	40	+	the largest consumer of natural gas for both electricity generation
	41	+	and industrial use; 77 percent of the electricity generated in
	42	+	Texas is produced from the use of fossil fuels; and
40	43		WHEREAS, Reliable and affordable electricity is vital to
41	44		economic growth and job creation and to the well-being of all
42	45		citizens; according to the United States Department of Energy, "A
43	46		diverse portfolio of energy resources is critical to U.S. energy
44	47		and national policy . . . being more robust and resilient in
45		-	comparison to a system that is heavily dependent on a limited set
46		-	of energy resources . . . [and] helps insulate the economy from
	48	+	comparison to a system that is heavily dependent on a limited set of
	49	+	energy resources . . . [and] helps insulate the economy from
47	50		certain risks, including price volatility and risks from supply
48	51		disruptions"; and
49		-	WHEREAS, Texas is a leader in the research and development
50		-	of technologies that provide clean, safe, and reliable power
	52	+	WHEREAS, Texas is a leader in the research and development of
	53	+	technologies that provide clean, safe, and reliable power
51	54		generation, and it is committed to continued research and
52	55		development of carbon reduction strategies for fossil fuels,
53	56		including existing and emerging carbon capture, utilization, and
54	57		storage technologies such as geological sequestration, mineral
55		-	carbonation, and the beneficial use of captured carbon dioxide;
56		-	and
57		-	WHEREAS, In Texas, many academic, private, and
58		-	governmental initiatives and institutions are engaged in efforts
59		-	to address the environmental, health, and economic impacts of
60		-	energy production and use through collaborations on applied CO2
61		-	research, practical applications, workforce development, and
62		-	public education; among them are the Petra Nova Project at the W.
63		-	A. Parish Electric Generating Station in Fort Bend County, the
64		-	Texas Clean Energy Project in Ector County, the NET Power project
65		-	in Harris County, the Energy and Environment Initiative at Rice
66		-	University, the Texas Carbon Management Program, and the Gulf
67		-	Coast Carbon Center at The University of Texas at Austin; and
	58	+	carbonation, and the beneficial use of captured carbon dioxide; and
	59	+	WHEREAS, In Texas, many academic, private, and governmental
	60	+	initiatives and institutions are engaged in efforts to address the
	61	+	environmental, health, and economic impacts of energy production
	62	+	and use through collaborations on applied CO2 research, practical
	63	+	applications, workforce development, and public education; among
	64	+	them are the Petra Nova Project at the W. A. Parish Electric
	65	+	Generating Station in Fort Bend County, the Texas Clean Energy
	66	+	Project in Ector County, the NET Power project in Harris County, the
	67	+	Energy and Environment Initiative at Rice University, the Texas
	68	+	Carbon Management Program, and the Gulf Coast Carbon Center at The
	69	+	University of Texas at Austin; and
68	70		WHEREAS, Legislation was introduced in the 114th United
69	71		States Congress to enhance and extend current federal tax
70	72		incentives, under Section 45Q of the Internal Revenue Code, that
71	73		sustain and promote such collaborations and encourage private
72	74		industry in energy generation, manufacturing, and agriculture to
73		-	adopt and deploy existing and emerging technologies that
74		-	increase carbon capture, utilization, and storage; environmental
75		-	and energy advocates have come together in support of this
76		-	legislation in a groundbreaking coalition of environmental
77		-	advocacy groups, labor unions, and energy producers from the
78		-	coal, oil and gas, ethanol, and algae-biomass industries;
79		-	moreover, the legislation has received strong bipartisan support
80		-	in both the United States Senate and the United States House of
81		-	Representatives; and
	75	+	adopt and deploy existing and emerging technologies that increase
	76	+	carbon capture, utilization, and storage; environmental and energy
	77	+	advocates have come together in support of this legislation in a
	78	+	groundbreaking coalition of environmental advocacy groups, labor
	79	+	unions, and energy producers from the coal, oil and gas, ethanol,
	80	+	and algae-biomass industries; moreover, the legislation has
	81	+	received strong bipartisan support in both the United States Senate
	82	+	and the United States House of Representatives; and
82	83		WHEREAS, Congress and the president are also currently
83	84		considering a large-scale federal infrastructure initiative to
84	85		strengthen our nation's transportation, public works, and energy
85	86		infrastructure, which could also serve as a vehicle for advancing
86		-	"jobs-ready" carbon capture projects; the United States
87		-	Department of Energy has determined that "a combination of tax
88		-	incentives and research, development, demonstration, and
89		-	deployment (RDD&D) will be critical to developing
90		-	transformational carbon capture technologies and to driving down
91		-	the costs of capture"; and
	87	+	"jobs-ready" carbon capture projects; the United States Department
	88	+	of Energy has determined that "a combination of tax incentives and
	89	+	research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D) will
	90	+	be critical to developing transformational carbon capture
	91	+	technologies and to driving down the costs of capture"; and
92	92		WHEREAS, The Lone Star State has long been committed to a
93		-	forward-looking energy strategy that maximizes both
94		-	environmental quality and economic opportunity; now, therefore,
95		-	be it
	93	+	forward-looking energy strategy that maximizes both environmental
	94	+	quality and economic opportunity; now, therefore, be it
96	95		RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th
97	96		Legislature, hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United
98	97		States to enact legislation to expand and extend the current
99	98		federal tax credit for carbon capture, utilization, and storage
100		-	under Section 45Q of the Internal Revenue Code; and, be it
101		-	further
102		-	RESOLVED, That the Texas Senate respectfully urge Congress
103		-	to provide appropriations to the United States Department of
104		-	Energy sufficient to achieve and sustain a robust carbon capture
105		-	research, development, demonstration, and deployment program and
106		-	to support the inclusion of economically and environmentally
107		-	beneficial carbon capture projects in any forthcoming federal
108		-	infrastructure initiative; and, be it further
109		-	RESOLVED, That the Texas Senate respectfully urge Congress
110		-	to support policies to increase the operational efficiency, and
	99	+	under Section 45Q of the Internal Revenue Code; and, be it further
	100	+	RESOLVED, That the Texas Senate respectfully urge Congress to
	101	+	provide appropriations to the United States Department of Energy
	102	+	sufficient to achieve and sustain a robust carbon capture research,
	103	+	development, demonstration, and deployment program and to support
	104	+	the inclusion of economically and environmentally beneficial
	105	+	carbon capture projects in any forthcoming federal infrastructure
	106	+	initiative; and, be it further
	107	+	RESOLVED, That the Texas Senate respectfully urge Congress to
	108	+	support policies to increase the operational efficiency, and
111	109		thereby the environmental performance, of existing
112	110		electric-generating units and to support the preservation of a
113	111		fuel-diverse electric generation portfolio critical to our
114	112		domestic economic, energy, and national security; and, be it
115	113		further
116		-	RESOLVED, That the secretary of the senate forward
117		-	official copies of this resolution to the president of the United
118		-	States, to the president of the Senate and the speaker of the
119		-	House of Representatives of the United States Congress, and to
120		-	all the members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the
121		-	request that this resolution be entered in the Congressional
122		-	Record as a memorial to the Congress of the United States of
123		-	America.
124		-	_______________________________
125		-	President of the Senate
126		-	I hereby certify that the
127		-	above Resolution was adopted by
128		-	the Senate on May 23, 2017, by the
129		-	following vote: Yeas 29, Nays 2.
130		-	_______________________________
131		-	Secretary of the Senate
	114	+	RESOLVED, That the secretary of the senate forward official
	115	+	copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
	116	+	the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of
	117	+	Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the
	118	+	members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that
	119	+	this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a
	120	+	memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.
	121	+	* * * * *