December 25, 2020 - TRA Newswire - As of December 2020, the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP), which is administered by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), had nearly $2 billion in the bank, according to a report furnished by the Environmental Defense Fund.



The report, which centers on the fact there is enough money in the bank to double the program’s emission reductions to date, primarily focuses on electric trucks and buses.



Lost in the report is the fact that an electrified regional rail line, which reduces smog-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) and other local air pollutants even more than road vehicles, could have a significant positive impact, as in the congested Austin-San Antonio corridor.



"The busy Austin-San Antonio travel corridor would be a prime candidate to show how an electrified regional passenger rail line could benefit the environment", according to Texas Rail Advocates Peter LeCody. "I don't think the TCEQ has ever considered using TERP funding for a Texas regional electrified rail line between two major that suffer from heavy traffic congestion and increased NOx pollution levels. The funds continue to build in the TERP account and we should be thinking outside the box on how to put the money to use."



In late 2019 twenty Texas State Representatives, in a bi-partisan letter, petitioned House Chair Dennis Bonnen to add the Austin-San Antonio rail corridor to an interim charge for a committee report, but it was not considered in the peoples business between sessions.



The EDF report stated that since 2001, more than 35,000 TERP projects totaling over $1.3 billion in grants have reduced upwards of 183,000 tons of NOx, a major driver of the state’s air quality challenges. While a very small portion of the funds have been used to convert some diesel locomotives to self-powered electric operations in several rail yards, little attention has been paid to an electtified regional passenger rail line.