Relating to motor fuel measuring, quality, and testing standards.
Summary
HB 4690 updates Texas law governing motor fuel measuring, quality, and testing standards. The bill directs the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and the commission to align motor fuel metering tolerances, fuel quality standards, and testing procedures with the most recently adopted standards from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and ASTM International. It also requires the commission to adopt rules setting minimum fuel quality standards for gasoline and gasoline-ethanol blends, including reference to ASTM D4814 for automotive spark-ignition engine fuel.
The bill revises how the state tests motor fuel by allowing samples to be collected and tested at any location where fuel is stored, transferred, sold, or offered for sale, and by requiring testing procedures to track the latest ASTM standards. It adds specific exceptions for seasonal volatility classes, driveability index requirements, ethanol-blended gasoline vapor pressure tolerances, short extensions for seasonal transitions, and a carve-out for low-emissions motor fuel rules required by federal law. It also repeals Section 2310.202 of the Occupations Code and applies the new law only to violations occurring on or after the effective date.
Impact
HB 4690 primarily affects Chapter 2310 of the Occupations Code by modernizing state motor fuel standards and replacing older statutory references with dynamic references to current ASTM and NIST standards. It changes the regulatory framework for fuel sellers, distributors, and testing authorities by tying compliance to the latest industry standards at the time of sale or testing, while preserving exceptions for seasonal fuel formulations and low-emissions requirements. The bill took effect immediately, meaning the updated standards and enforcement rules became operative upon enactment for future violations.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the House overwhelmingly, passed the Senate with only one nay vote, and the House later concurred in Senate amendments with no opposition recorded. The voting pattern suggests general agreement that the bill was a technical or standards-updating measure rather than a major policy dispute.
Contention
There is little evidence of substantive contention in the available record, and no committee transcript is provided. The only apparent point of potential concern is the bill’s use of automatic incorporation of the latest ASTM and NIST standards, which can raise questions about regulatory flexibility and industry compliance costs. The detailed exceptions for volatility classes, ethanol blends, and low-emissions motor fuel indicate an effort to balance fuel quality enforcement with seasonal and federal air-quality requirements, but no organized opposition is reflected in the vote history.
Establishing clean fuels standards; establishing the Clean Fuels Standards Board; imposing duties on the Clean Fuels Standards Board and the Department of Environmental Protection; and establishing the Fair Market Credit Trading Program.