At last, a decent bit of news from the Texas Legislature. This week, SB 1924 (Gallegos) passed the Senate. Finally, one of more than 10 air quality bills introduced this session is getting somewhere!

Of course, that's partly because this is the least "offensive" bill of the bunch. It requires TCEQ to report on its efforts to clean up air pollution, but doesn't actually include any new pollution reduction measures.

Which is not to say it isn't a good bill. It is. But it would be even better if it included ambient air quality standards. Unfortunately, all the bills that would have set such standards (including another one by Gallegos) died in committee.

Texas Rep. Dennis Bonnen, chair of the House Environmental Regulations Committee, has said he won't hear any air toxics bills in his committee unless they pass the Senate, according to an article in the Brazoria County Facts.

Despite strong opposition from 11 Texas Senators, SB 1317 (Jackson) passed the Senate on Wednesday after the third vote. The purpose of the bill is to prevent Texas cities from using nuisance ordinances to address air pollution that impacts their residents, if the pollution originates outside the city limits.

The bill was developed in direct response to the pollution reduction efforts of Houston Mayor Bill White. There's a blog on the Texas Observer that gives his reaction to the passage of the bill.