Texas Low Emission Diesel (TxLED) Program

The Texas Low Emission Diesel (TxLED) program is an enforceable rule under Texas' State Implementation Plan (SIP). This page provides information on this control strategy and downloadable documents in various formats. For help with these formats, please see TCEQ's Web Site Help.

• Background
• Registration Requirements and Forms
• Quarterly Reporting Requirements and Forms
• Draft Regulatory Guidance Document
• Approved Alternative Diesel Fuel Formulations
• CARB Certification
• Alternative Emission Reduction Plans (AERP)
• Related Rules
• Useful Links
• Sign Up for E-Mail Updates
• Contact Information

Background

Area(s) affected: Houston-Galveston-Brazoria (HGB) ozone nonattainment area (Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller Counties), Beaumont-Port Arthur (BPA) ozone nonattainment area (Hardin, Jefferson, and Orange Counties), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) ozone nonattainment area (Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, and Tarrant Counties), and Anderson, Angelina, Aransas, Atascosa, Austin, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Bosque, Bowie, Brazos, Burleson, Caldwell, Calhoun, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Colorado, Comal, Cooke, Coryell, De Witt, Delta, Falls, Fannin, Fayette, Franklin, Freestone, Goliad, Gonzales, Grayson, Gregg, Grimes, Guadalupe, Harrison, Hays, Henderson, Hill, Hood, Hopkins, Houston, Hunt, Jackson, Jasper, Karnes, Lamar, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Limestone, Live Oak, Madison, Marion, Matagorda, McLennan, Milam, Morris, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Newton, Nueces, Panola, Polk, Rains, Red River, Refugio, Robertson, Rusk, Sabine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Somervell, Titus, Travis, Trinity, Tyler, Upshur, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Washington, Wharton, Williamson, Wilson, Wise, and Wood Counties.
Map of Areas affected

Start date: October 1, 2005
Expiration/End date: None
Applicability Period: All Year
Source type: Mobile Sources
Emission(s) targeted: Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)
Rule/Citations: 30 TAC 114, Subchapter A, §114.6 ( PDF)( HTML ) and Subchapter H, Division 2, §§114.312-114.319 ( PDF)( HTML )
Description: The goal of the TxLED program is to lower emissions of NOx and other pollutants from diesel-powered motor vehicles and nonroad equipment. It applies to diesel fuel producers, importers, common carriers, distributors, transporters, bulk terminal operators, and retailers. The rule covers 110 counties in the eastern half of Texas, including the ozone nonattainment areas of Beaumont-Port Arthur, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Houston-Galveston-Brazoria. The rule requires that diesel fuel as defined under 30 TAC §114.6 produced for delivery and ultimate sale to the consumer –for both on and nonroad use – must contain less than 10 percent by volume of aromatic hydrocarbons and must have a cetane number of 48 or greater. Some compliance options are allowed.

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Registration Requirements

All diesel producers and importers that sale or supply diesel fuel into the 110 Texas counties affected by the TxLED regulations are required to register with the TCEQ in accordance with 30 TAC §114.314. New producers and importers are required to register with the TCEQ at least 30 days before they begin to sell or supply diesel fuel into any of the 110 counties affected by the TxLED regulations.

Registration Form and Instructions

• The TxLED Registration Form (Word format, PDF format) also includes instructions for completing the forms.

Registration forms submitted by individual companies contain business confidential information and are not available for public review. However, the ID Summary provides a list of all producers and importers currently registered with the TxLED program that includes the company names, company ID numbers, and the city and state of the registered TXLED companies.

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Quarterly Reporting Requirements

Each producer and importer electing to sell, offer for sale, supply, or offer to supply TxLED in accordance with 30 TAC §114.312 and 30 TAC §114.318 shall provide a quarterly summation report to the executive director no later than the 45th day following the end of the calendar quarter.

Reporting Forms

The following reporting forms include instructions for completing the forms and are specific for each type of TxLED compliance method.

• AERP Reporting Form
  Reporting form to be used for producers who are making or supplying TxLED by an alternative emission reduction plan (AERP.PDF) (AERP.DOC) in compliance with 30 TAC §114.318
• Alternative Formulation Form
  Reporting form to be used for producers who are making or supplying TxLED by a TCEQ-approved alternative diesel formulation (Alternative Formulation.PDF) (Alternative Formulation.DOC) in compliance with 30 TAC §114.312(f)
• California Diesel Form
  Reporting form to be used for producers who are making or supplying California diesel (CARB.PDF) (CARB.DOC) or an approved California alternative formulation diesel fuel in compliance with 30 TAC §114.312(e)
• TxLED Specification Form
  Reporting form to be used for producers who are making or supplying TxLED specification (TxLED Spec.PDF) (TxLED Spec.DOC) in compliance with 30 TAC §114.312(a)
• Importer Quarterly Reporting Form
  Reporting Form ( Importer.PDF, Importer.DOC) to be used by importers who are supplying TxLED-compliant diesel in compliance with 30 TAC §114.312

Information requested in these reporting forms may be updated or revised as new questions arise or further clarification is needed.

Mail the completed quarterly reporting form(s) to:
Air Quality Planning Section, MC-206
TCEQ
P.O. Box 13087
Austin, Texas 78711-3087
Attention: TxLED Quarterly Reporting Form

If possible, also e-mail a copy of the completed quarterly reporting form(s) to morris.brown@tceq.texas.gov.

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Draft Regulatory Guidance

Updated: January 25, 2012

The draft TxLED regulatory guidance document has been developed to provide answers to common questions regarding the TCEQ's implementation and enforcement of the TxLED rules and requirements and to assist producers, importers, and other affected entities, with their compliance under these regulations. The information contained in this draft regulatory guidance document does not supercede or replace any state or federal laws or regulations adopted by the TCEQ.

• Draft TxLED Regulatory Guidance (PDF)

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Approved Alternative Diesel Fuel Formulations

The following diesel fuels and/or diesel fuel additive blends have been approved by the TCEQ as alternative diesel fuel formulations for Texas Low Emission Diesel Fuel (TxLED) in accordance with 30 TAC §114.315(c) or (d), and may be used to satisfy the TxLED requirements as allowed under 30 TAC §114.312(f).

Note: Alternative diesel formulations approved by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) are also considered approved by the TCEQ in accordance with 30 TAC §114.312(e). Therefore, the CARB certified diesel fuel formulation, Executive Order G-714-031A, as issued to Kern Oil Refining Co. for its KOR-4c additive blended formulation is acceptable for use as an alternative diesel fuel formulation for TxLED.

Note: Biodiesel blenders must comply with the new updated TxLED Regulatory Guidance for the sale, supply, or offer for sale of biodiesel blends for use in the 110 central and eastern Texas counties affected by the TxLED requirements.

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CARB Certification

TxLED fuel standards may be satisfied by a CARB-certified alternative diesel fuel formulation, or by fuel that complies with certain California fuel regulations in accordance with 30 TAC §114.312(e). Please refer to the TxLED Regulatory Guidance document for the specific requirements.

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Alternative Emission Reduction Plans

An alternative emission reduction plan (AERP) is the documentation by which a diesel fuel producer demonstrates how a substitute fuel strategy (or strategies) will achieve an equivalent level of NOx emission reductions that otherwise would have been achieved if they were producing TxLED through compliance with 30 TAC §114.312.  The TxLED regulations under 30 TAC §114.318 specify the requirements that diesel fuel producers must meet to use an AERP for compliance with the TxLED fuel standards under 30 TAC §114.312. Note: All AERP diesel offset credits generated from early gasoline sulfur reductions expired on December 31, 2010.

Producers may use the TxLED AERP Compliance Calculator (Excel format) and the AERP Submittal Form ( Word format, PDF format) to calculate and submit an AERP to the TCEQ that demonstrates compliance with the AERP requirements under 30 TAC §114.318.  The AERP submitted by individual companies contain business confidential information and are not available for public review.

The TxLED AERP Compliance Calculator (Excel format) includes the Unified Model and all of the other calculation formulas specified under 30 TAC §114.318 to calculate compliance with the AERP requirements.

Additional information about AERPs can be found in the TxLED Regulatory Guidance.

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Related Rules

Rule/Citations: 30 TAC 114, Subchapter A, §114.6 ( PDF)( HTML) and Subchapter H, Division 2, §§114.312–114.319 ( PDF)( HTML)

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Useful Links

Some links to relevant sites:

• TxLED Stakeholders Group
• Federal Register: EPA approval of TCEQ April 26, 2006, May 9, 2007, and May 23, 2007, revisions to the TxLED rules.
• Federal Register: EPA approval of parts of the TCEQ March 9, 2005, revision to the TxLED rules.
• EPA National Clean Diesel Campaign
• EPA Publication: Strategies and Issues in Correlating Diesel Fuel Properties with Emissions
• New Technology Research and Development Program
• TCEQ Memorandum: Tank and Material Handling Authorization for Required Diesel Additives

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Sign up for e-mail updates on matters relating to the TxLED program.

You will receive e-mails whenever we add new information to this TxLED Stakeholders Web page or to the main TxLED Program Web page. Click on the link below and do the following:

1. Enter and confirm your e-mail address.
2. From the list of choices, look under Air Quality and select "Texas Low Emission Diesel (TxLED) Program."
3. Select other subscriptions if you wish, then click "Save."
4. The system will then send you a confirmation e-mail to accept.

You can unsubscribe, change your e-mail address, or choose additional options from the link on this page or from the update e-mails you receive.

Are you a new subscriber? Sign up for e-mail updates.

Already a subscriber with us? Access your user profile to add this subscription.

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Contact for Information

For more information, please contact Morris Brown, Air Quality Planning Section, at (512) 239-1438 or email aqp@tceq.texas.gov and specify “TxLED Program” in the subject line.

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