Definitive Solar Library “Around The Corner” Webinars: What Happened for Solar – or not! – During the 2011 Texas Legislative Session Russel Smith, Executive Director TREIA Russel Smith is the co-founder and executive director of Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association (TREIA). His career spans more than three decades working with governmental, educational and non-profit boards, and on state committees promoting the development of solar wind, biomass, geothermal and hydro resources. Smith is also a founding member and former executive director of the educational non-profit Texas Solar Energy Society. TREIA’s 13 Legislative Objectives ?Encourage filing and passage of bills addressing 12 objectives ?Bills filed relating to 8 of the 12 ?Bills passed relating to 6 of the 8 objectives ?13th objective - Maintain existing tax exemptions - accomplished TREIA’s task during session ?113 bills on TREIA’s action list ?TREIA supported sixty (60) – fifteen (15) passed, and ?opposed nine (9) – all nine were defeated Key bills that failed to pass ? HB 2961 (Darby) – state-wide solar incentives tiered for residential, commercial, and utility-scale projects ? HB 774 (Anchia) / SB 330 (Watson) – 1,500 MW goal (RPS) for non-wind renewable energy resources by 2020 ? HB 3259 (Strama) – change 500 MW non-wind “target” in current RPS to “goal” affirming it as mandatory Direct impact on solar market ?HB 362 (Solomons) – Solar and HOAs ?SB 981 (Carona) – Distributed Renewable Generation Third Party Ownership ?SB 1910 (Rodriguez) – Net Metering and Efficiency Programs for El Paso Electric ?HB 2077 (E. Rodriguez) – State Efficiency and Renewable Energy Finance Program for Nonprofits and Houses of Worship Peripheral, but could have an impact ? HB 51 (Lucio III) – Efficiency & High Performance Standards for State Buildings ? HB1728 (Keffer) – Public Institutions Increased Funding Flexibility for Performance Contracting ? SB 898 (Carona) – Public Institutions Energy Use Reduction Goals Set ? SB 943 (Carona) – Electric Energy Storage Regulation ? SB 312 (Seliger) – Natural Gas & Renewables Harmful bills defeated ?SB 1590, HB 2652, HB 3015 ?Altered Chapter 313 of the Tax Code to the detriment of renewable energy project development. Other anti-renewables efforts defeated ?Ending RPS (Goal for Renewable Energy) ?Stopping Competitive Renewable Energy Zones transmission program ?Opening definition of renewable energy technology to include non-renewable resources Important issues defeated but kicked to interim ?Chapter 313 - Select Committee on Economic Development ?State Energy Plan Questions and Discussion Please enter your questions into the Chat window Russel Smith Executive Director, TREIA P. O. Box 10023 Austin, TX 78766 Ph.: 512-345-5446 E-mail: rsmith@treia.org Web: www.treia.org rsmith@treia.org