Zwiener lays out bills regarding after effects of the winter storm, regional trail system
Texas State Rep. Erin Zwiener recently laid out house bills dealing with the effects of Winter Storm Uri, and three pieces of legislation encouraging the development of a regional non-motorized trail system.
Zwiener discussed House bill 3539 before the House Energy Resources Committee, House Bill 4499 in the House Committee on Culture, Recreation & Tourism, and House Bills 2345 and 2433 in the House Ways and Means Committee.
“During the Texas Blackout, we saw many infrastructure failures,” Zwiener said. “We need a resilient system that can weather any storm, and this legislation provides a solution for one piece of that puzzle. Underground natural gas storage facilities played a role in supplying natural gas to electric generators and to gas utilities. House Bill 3539 will ensure that every one of these facilities has the onsite generation they need to supply Texans in an emergency.”
House Bill 3539 requires underground natural storage facilities to maintain on-site generation necessary to pump gas from the facility for a minimum of 12 hours.
According to Zwiener’s office, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas grid lost 40% of expected generation ability, and at the highest point, 185 power plants were unable to generate energy. Additionally, difficulties with flow of natural gas to electric generators was one contributing factor to the grid’s loss of expected generation ability. Chair Christi Craddick testified that while many natural gas storage facilities were able to help supply gas to the market, at least one facility was unable to flow gas because of the loss of electricity.
House Bill 4499 would provide additional opportunities for Texans to enjoy the outdoors by increasing and connecting trails. The legislation would direct Texas Parks and Wildlife to study the feasibility of a regional connected trails program. TPWD would work with the Texas Department of Transportation, the Texas Historical Commission, federal land management agencies, and counties and municipalities who maintain parks with relevant trails.
House Bill 2345 would allow Blanco County to impose up to a 7% hotel occupancy tax to be used for the promotion of tourism. Currently in Blanco County, the two largest municipalities, Johnson City and the City of Blanco, have the authority to issue up to a 7% hotel occupancy tax on hotels located in their city limits. However, hotels located outside those city limits are not subject to the same taxation, creating uneven taxation throughout the county.
Zwiener’s office said the use of the hotel occupancy tax is vital to the cities that impose it, and the creation of this additional revenue stream for Blanco County would be valuable in the promotion of tourism.
House Bill 2433 expands the use of the hotel occupancy tax for dark skies promotional activities to additional municipalities located in central Texas. The bill expands this ability to additional municipalities, so that they can better protect their night skies and encourage more dark sky tourism