Texas Emissions Reduction Plan, Incentive Program Guidance
Emisstar TERP Grant Assistance
Emisstar provides TERP grant help to clients from application to disposition. For information on our TERP services, please contact Tiffany Hollon.
Emisstar TERP Watch List
OPEN: TERP Emissions Reduction Incentive Grant (ERIG) Round-The TCEQ announced the opening of a TERP grant round on May 25, 2010. This round has $90,000,000 available to fund projects that reduce NOx emissions in sensitive regions in Texas.
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TERP grants can fund replacements, repowers, and retrofits of on-road vehicles, non-road equipment, marine vessels, locomotives, and stationary engines. Grants are awarded on a competitive bid process based on the cost per ton of NOx reduced, with a maximum funding level of $10,000 per ton of NOx. Applicants must meet basic TERP eligibility requirements, and upon the receipt of grant funds, must commit to operate TERP machines or vehicles in eligible counties for an annual amount of hours specified in the application. Other requirements include the disposition of old engines, machines, and vehicles, and semi-annual usage reporting to TCEQ.
How Emisstar Can Help You
Emisstar has the tools, skills, and experience to help you through the entire TERP application process. We use our in-depth knowledge of the program to assist you with grant applications, TERP calculations, reimbursement, disposition, and reporting. If you would like to hire us for 2010 ERIG TERP grant assistance, please contact us. Our spaces fill up quickly.
Approved: TERP Guideline Changes—On March 30th, the TCEQ Commissioners approved TERP guideline changes put forward by staff earlier this year after soliciting comments from the public in January. Most of the approved guideline revisions create consistencies between the guideline text and current practices at TCEQ. Significant changes include revisions to usage requirements, rebate grant requirements, terminal tractors and fuel-based emissions/hybrids.
Announced: EPA Proposes to Add Sources to Greenhouse Gas Reporting System—On March 23, the EPA announced the oil and gas industries will be required to report greenhouse gas emissions to the EPA under the new Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule. Under the proposal amendments, the oil and gas industries will join the 31 industries already marked for reporting. Businesses required to report will track emissions, and can compare their data to similar facilities to identify cost effective ways to reduce their emissions in the future. Emisstar will continue to monitor developments with the rule and its implementation.
Announced: Coalition Seeks $100M for DERA Funding in FY2011—A coalition of scientists, public health officials, industry professionals and governments have come together under the Diesel Technology Forum to increase Diesel Emissions Reduction Act funding for the upcoming fiscal year. The $60M in funding for FY2010 was met with a demand of $1B in project applications. The coalition also suggests that the federal government increase funding for states, whose application requests also dwarfed the money available. This news is significant in its demonstration of a unified desire for clean air projects.
Approved: TCEQ Adopts New Rulemaking for New Construction and Relocation of Portable Facilities—To make the commission’s rule consistent with the guidance offered on the Air Permits Division website in it’s pursuance of the Texas Clean Air Act, the TCEQ approved guideline revisions for new construction and portable facility relocation. The new rules will allow portable facilities moving onto sites in which another portable facility has been located within the past two years to do so without having to undergo public notification procedures. Additionally, new locations and constructions will be required to post public notification at the proposed site, rather than at a location of the company’s choice.
Announced: Barnett Shale Oil and Gas Production Companies to Complete Emissions Inventory—The TCEQ will require all companies, including affiliates that operate leases and facilities associated with Barnett Shale oil and gas production to submit air emissions data for calendar year 2009. Any customer you may have that process Barnett Shale oil and gas will be notified directly by TCEQ. The Barnett Shale area includes Archer, Bosque, Clay, Comanche, Cooke, Coryelle, Dallas, Denton, Eastland, Ellis, Erath, Hill, Hood, Jack, Johnson, Montague, Palo Pinto, Parker, Shackelford, Stephens, Somervell, Tarrant and Wise counties. The contact at TCEQ for this initiative in Danielle Nesvacil who can be reached at (512) 239-2102 or at bshaleei@tceq.state.tx.us.
Announced: California Air Resources Board Delays Enforcement of Off-Road Rule—The California Air Resources Board (CARB) delayed enforcement action for the March 1, 2010 emissions performance provisions of the In-Use Off-Road Diesel Vehicle regulation due to the economy’s affect on industries that use the vehicles. Since the economic downturn resulted in less work for the vehicles, the state realized fewer emission reductions without the regulations, which would have stipulated requirements for vehicle retrofits and replacements, limited acquisition of Tier 0 and Tier 1 vehicles and required new fleets to meet emissions targets.
Approved: NCTCOG Clean Construction Initiative Demonstration Project—The North Central Texas Council of Government’s Regional Transport Council approved a one-year demonstration project to evaluate the affect of the proposed Clean Construction Initiative on construction projects in the DFW nonattainment area. The demonstration project will collect “mock bid” data from contractors that meet the requirements of the proposed Clean Construction Initiative as well as questionnaires from contractors and local governments. Additionally, the demonstration will monitor voluntary initiative implementation by local governments. The demonstration’s goal is to collect information on suspected increases in bid costs. For more information on the Clean Construction Initiative, please see the next item on this list, “North Central Texas Council of Governments “Clean Construction” Contract Specification Language for Public Sector Projects.”
About TERP
The Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2001 in response to Texas’ air quality problems. TERP includes an incentive grant program to support reducing emissions from heavy-duty trucks, nonroad equipment, onroad trucks, locomotives and marine vessels in nonattainment and near nonattainment areas. TERP grants fund the installation of emissions reduction retrofit devices and the upgrading of emissions controls on engines, and mitigate the costs of replacing trucks, machines and locomotives with lower-emitting models.
Emisstar and TERP
Emisstar staff members Kathi Harris and Chris Wolfe have guided numerous clients through the complex rules associated with the TERP grant program and the preparation of winning grant applications. Throughout the eastern half of Texas and the major metropolitan areas, activity has included working with heavy duty equipment dealers, contractors, fleet owners, marine, stevedoring and rail companies to assess fleets, identify emission reductions and fuel savings opportunities and to assist them with emissions reduction projects. Successful applications require detailed assessment of the existing and potential new equipment as well as quantifying existing emissions, emission levels of new equipment and emission reductions to be achieved over the life of the project.
Our experience includes the successful submission of TERP applications for the replacement, repower or retrofit of nonroad heavy duty equipment, material handling equipment, nonroad and onroad vehicles, marine vessels and locomotives. Today, Kathi Harris serves as the TERP lead for Emisstar. Emisstar works extensively with engine and equipment manufacturers and dealers, contractors, fleet owners, freight handling companies, marine operators, railroads and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to overcome the challenges to achieving emissions reductions in Texas.
If you are interested in learning more about the TERP program and how you can participate, contact Tiffany Hollon or visit the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s website here.
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