HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution No. 02-43 CITY OF THE COLONY, TEXAS
RESOLUTION NO.
WHEREAS, air quality impacts the public health as well as the economic health of our entire
state; and,
WHEREAS, federally designated non-attainment areas and near non-attainment areas of Texas
include thirty-eight counties, and all of the largest cities which represent 70% of the state's
population; and,
WHEREAS, attaining compliance with the federal Clean Air Act is essential for Texas to
achieve long-term growth and prosperity and to continue to provide a high quality of life for its
citizens; and,
WHEREAS, air quality compliance continues to be among the most important and difficult
challenges facing Texas; and,
WHEREAS, given the integrated nature of the Texas economy, all parts of the state will benefit
when air quality compliance is achieved or will suffer if it is not; and,
WHEREAS, the Texas Legislature in 2001 enacted the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (Senate
Bill 5- TERP) to provide incentives to induce the voluntary replacement or retro-fitting of older
and high polluting diesel and gasoline engines with newer and cleaner ones; and,
WHEREAS, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accepted this strategy to substitute for
a construction time shift that would have kept heavy-duty construction equipment from operating
until 10:00 a.m. from May to October of each year and to also substitute for a requirement that
owners of heavy-duty equipment would have to completely modernize their fleet by 2007 with
new engines being introduced in 2005 and 2007; and,
WHEREAS, FOR THE Dallas/Fort Worth area, the TERP was to be given credit for reducing
16.3 tons per day of ozone causing emissions; and
WHEREAS, no alternative strategy(ies) has been identified which could feasibly or
economically achieve this same level of reductions; and,
WHEREAS, the major funding source of the TERP was successfully challenged in legal
proceeding and therefore resulted in this strategy not reaching its full potential and thereby not
creating the emissions reductions intended; and,
WHEREAS, without the reductions, EPA has given notice that it will not approve the Dallas/Fort
Worth attainment demonstration SIP, will find that the previously approved Houston SIP has
failed, and will eliminate a future source of reductions in the near non-attainment areas; and,
WHEREAS, failure of these SIPs and the lack of potential reductions in the near non-attainment
areas will trigger several sanctions in those affected areas that will negatively impact the entire
Texas economy.
NOW, BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED by the City Council of The City of The Colony, Texas
that the 78th Texas Legislature is hereby urged to adopt the following initiatives, in priority order,
to preserve Texas air quality, enhance public health, and promote economic prosperity:
1. First and foremost, provide full funding for the next biennium for the Texas Emissions
Reduction Plan to make up the shortfall in the anticipated funding from last session;
2. Maintain the integrity of the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) by ensuring that
clean up legislation improves the effectiveness of the TERP programs by accepting the
Recommendations included in the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's TERP Report
to the Legislature and authorize the following provisions:
· Enable gasoline, propane, and natural gas engines to participate in the Emissions
Reduction Incentive Grant Program
· Include a simplified rebate program for low cost emissions control technologies
in the TERP programs
· Enable stationary engines to participate in the Emissions Reduction Incentive
Grant Program
· Remove the funding floor in the Light Duty Purchase and Lease Incentive
program
· Establish one primary and four satellite regional emission testing centers for
heavy-duty vehicles and machines
3. Support state funding for research and air planning activities:
· Approve the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's Legislative
Appropriations Request for the 2003-2004 biennium, for 1) ozone modeling
research in the state's non-attainment areas, and 2) air quality planning activities
in the state's near non-attainment areas, including those activities necessary to
support voluntary SIP submittals, ozone flex programs and early action compacts.
· Approve legislative appropriations to the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria and
Dallas/Fort Worth Air Quality Research Initiative to carry out air quality research
in support of the mid-course review with regard to these regions' SIPs and to
support the development of early attainment plans in these regions for the new
ozone and particulate standards.
4. Affect a change in building codes relative to roofing standards in urban areas to order to
improve the state's "urban heat islands."
5. Support an investigation of and, if merited, development of a pilot "pay as you save"
program to encourage implementation of permanent energy efficiency improvements.
6. In light of existing emission reduction gaps in the advent of the new federal 8- hour and
fine particulate standards, consider other measures as they are developed that have emission
reduction potential. Some may include increased energy efficiency programs, fuel cell programs
and clean fleet and engine improvements.
ADOPTED THIS 16TM DAY OF DECEMBER, 2002 BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF THE COLONY, TEXAS.
ATTEST:
Patti A H~cks, City Secretary