June 5, 2017. State Rep. Brooks Landgraf touted passage of a bill passed late Sunday that will create state grants for governmental entities purchasing vehicles that use natural gas, a program the Odessa lawmaker says will help create jobs in the Permian Basin.

   The legislation included a provision authorizing the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to use money from an existing state fund, the Texas Emissions Reductions Program, to convert state fleets to include vehicles with engines that run on natural gas-based fuels.

   Landgraf said the Texas Fuels bill should support increased natural gas production in Texas, including in the Permian Basin, without raising taxes or fees.

   “Our state is the largest energy producer in our nation and utilizing Texas based fuels will support Permian Basin oil and gas producers by providing another market for their products and will help create jobs and grow our economy,\" Landgraf said in a statement after the bill’s passage.

   The bill will head to Governor Greg Abbott for approval.

   Landgraf supported a similar bill in the previous legislative session that died without being passed.