| Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral |
Relating to reducing the volume of wastes disposed of in landfills by promoting the beneficial conversion of plastics and other recoverable materials using pyrolysis and gasification processes.
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
HB 1953 would prohibit the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality from considering post-use polymers and recoverable feedstocks as solid waste if they are converted using pyrolysis or gasification into valuable raw, intermediate, and final products. This would exempt a facility that reuses or converts recyclable materials through these processes from regulation under the federal Solid Waste Disposal Act provisions. The purpose of this bill is to encourage "beneficial conversion of plastics and other recoverable materials into useful products through pyrolysis or gasification."
Texas Action remains neutral on HB 1953 as the bill does not affect our liberty principles. We have opposed other legislation this session related to this issue, however those bills were geared toward getting the government involved in actively promoting and propping up certain economic activity. This merely tinkers with the regulatory environment to make that economic activity easier to conduct.