Governor Greg Abbott has signed HB 963, which expands the current Texas Natural Gas Vehicle Grant Program under the Texas Emission Reduction Plan (TERP) to include new or used natural gas vehicles. The bill stipulates the pre-owned vehicle must be at least a model year 2017 or no more than six years older than the current model year.
Susan Shifflett, TXNGVA, states “We appreciate Governor Abbott, our sponsors: Representative J.M. Lozano, Representative Brooks Landgraf, Representative Alex Dominguez, Representative Ryan Guillen and Senator Judith Zaffirini, and their staff for their support and hard work on HB 963. This Program will be the first of its kind in the United States. It provides larger fleets with a marketplace for their retired natural gas vehicles while financially helping small business owners get into newer, clean burning natural gas vehicles.”
“State legislators and Governor Abbott deserve strong praise for expanding the deployment of clean and affordable natural gas trucks and buses on Texas roads,” said Sherrie Merrow, Director of State Government Affairs for NGVAmerica. “They know Texas’ air quality depends on getting the greatest number of older, polluting trucks off the roads and replaced with newer, cleaner technology as soon as possible. HB963 serves as a blueprint for other states to think outside the box and give fleet owners of every size and shape the ability to do what’s right by greening up their environmental footprint by slashing emissions.”
“Replacing these oldest, highest emitting trucks with pre-owned natural gas vehicles will reduce Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) emissions by up to 95% greater than the current federal standard, notes Eddie Murray, Freedom CNG. “By signing HB 963 into law, we are cleaning up our air today and helping the small independent business owner.”
Brett Barry, Clean Energy Fuels, concludes “Natural gas is used as a clean transportation fuel by Amazon, UPS, Waste Management and many more fleets, which is helping to clear up Texas skies. We applaud the Texas Legislature and Governor Abbott for expanding the grant program that will allow more natural gas trucks to hit the road and ensure future generations of Texans to breathe easier.”
Source: Texas Natural Gas Vehicle Alliance