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The idea was to take a portion of motorists' fees and use the money to reduce harmful air emissions from vehicles and equipment through funding repairs or replacements. </p><p>Almost $1 billion has been used for that purpose, but hundreds of millions of more dollars have been stockpiled in recent years to artificially balance the state's budget. A similar program for low-income vehicle owners has faced the same fate. </p><p>Lawmakers have been divided over what to do about these programs. Some are calling for an end to the stockpiling, pointing out Texas needs to keep reducing emissions, especially in light of a potentially stricter ozone standard. Others want to just end the programs altogether and use the extra money for things like roads. But state House and Senate leaders have said they would like to continue the program, which would involve extending its originally-inteded length to make sure the rest of the unused funds are spent. </p><p> </p> <p class="update-time">Updated: March 18, 2015</p> <section class="related-legislation"> <header> <h5 class="sub-section-header">Relevant Legislation</h5> </header> <ul class="sans"> <li><a href="/web/20150508075643/http://txlege.texastribune.org/84/bills/HB14/">HB 14</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150508075643/http://txlege.texastribune.org/84/bills/SB1619/">SB 1619</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150508075643/http://txlege.texastribune.org/84/bills/SB1685/">SB 1685</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150508075643/http://txlege.texastribune.org/84/bills/SB1741/">SB 1741</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150508075643/http://txlege.texastribune.org/84/bills/SB1949/">SB 1949</a></li> </ul> </section> </section> </section> <section class="share-box"> <p class="sub-text">Share this issue: <a href="/web/20150508075643/http://txlege.texastribune.org/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#18276b6d7a727d7b6c254c707d3d2a284c7d60796b3d2a284c6a717a6d767d3d2a2f6b3d2a284c7d60796b3d2a28547d7f716b74796c716e7d3d2a285f6d717c7d3dX3A%20Dealing%20with%20the%20Texas%20Emissions%20Reduction%20Plan&body=I%20read%20about%20an%20issue%20that%20you%20might%20be%20interested%20in%20at%20The%20Texas%20Tribune:%20Dealing%20with%20the%20Texas%20Emissions%20Reduction%20Plan%20%0D%0Dhttp%3A%2F%2Ftxlege.texastribune.org/topics/environment/dealing-with-the-texas-emissions-reduction-plan/"> <i class="fa fa-envelope"></i> </a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150508075643/https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Issues%20of%20the%2084th%20%23txlege%3A%20Dealing%20with%20the%20Texas%20Emissions%20Reduction%20Plan%20http%3A%2F%2Ftxlege.texastribune.org/topics/environment/dealing-with-the-texas-emissions-reduction-plan/&via=texastribune" title="share on Twitter" class="social-share" target="_blank"> <i class="fa fa-twitter"></i> </a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150508075643/https://www.facebook.com/dialog/share?app_id=154122474650943&display=popup&href=http%3A%2F%2Ftxlege.texastribune.org/topics/environment/dealing-with-the-texas-emissions-reduction-plan/&redirect_uri=http%3A%2F%2Ftxlege.texastribune.org" title="share on Facebook" class="social-share" target="_blank"> <i class="fa fa-facebook"></i> </a> </p> </section> <section> <header class="page-header issue"> <p class="mini-emphasis">Browse more issues in <a href="/web/20150508075643/http://txlege.texastribune.org/topics/environment/">Environment</a>.</p> </header> <ul class="serif"> <li><a href="/web/20150508075643/http://txlege.texastribune.org/topics/environment/dealing-with-the-texas-emissions-reduction-plan/">Dealing with the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150508075643/http://txlege.texastribune.org/topics/environment/reforming-how-groundwater-is-managed/">Reforming how groundwater is managed</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150508075643/http://txlege.texastribune.org/topics/environment/addressing-the-effects-of-oil-and-gas-drilling/">Addressing the effects of oil and gas drilling</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150508075643/http://txlege.texastribune.org/topics/environment/chipping-away-at-environmental-regulations/">Chipping away at environmental regulations</a></li> </ul> <p class="mini-emphasis">See all the topics <a href="/web/20150508075643/http://txlege.texastribune.org/">we鈥檙e following</a>.</p> </section> <section class="newsletter-signup"> <header> <h4 class="sub-section-header">Sign up for our weekly digest of energy and environment coverage.</h4> </header> <div id="mc_embed_signup"> <form action="//web.archive.org/web/20150508075643/http://texastribune.us3.list-manage2.com/subscribe/post?u=3d0ce87edeeb6df90043897db&id=f11627ccd9" method="post" id="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" name="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" class="validate" target="_blank" novalidate> <div id="mc_embed_signup_scroll"> <div class="mc-field-group"> <label class="hidden" for="mce-EMAIL"></label> <input class="required input_neue" type="email" name="EMAIL" value="" placeholder="username@email.com"/> <input class="button" type="submit" name="subscribe" value="Subscribe"/> </div> <div id="mce-responses" class="clear"> <div class="response" id="mce-error-response" style="display:none"></div> <div class="response" id="mce-success-response" style="display:none"></div> </div> <div style="position: absolute; left: -5000px;"> <input type="text" name="b_3d0ce87edeeb6df90043897db_7476115edd" tabindex="-1" value=""></div> </div> </form> </div> </section> <div class="ad-container banner-ad bottom" id="div-gpt-ad-1406570316312-2"> <script> googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1406570316312-2'); }); </script> </div> <article class="issue-box"> <header> <h3 class="sub-section-header">Questions, suggestions or concerns? 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