Texas House bill by Rep. Paul defines renewable biomass and chemicals, sets mass balance guidelines

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Dennis Paul aims to clarify definitions of renewable biomass and chemicals and establish guidelines for mass balance attribution to promote regulatory consistency, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the House, 57 Democrats and 82 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, with no opposition.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 10 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor, while one Democrat voted against it.

Dennis Paul introduced the bill in the Texas House on Tuesday, March 11, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Paul graduated from San Jacinto College with a BS.

Paul, a Republican, was elected to the Texas State House in 2015 to represent the state’s 129th House district, replacing previous state representative John E. Davis.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to mass balance attribution of renewable biomass feedstocks used to produce renewable chemicals’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the Health and Safety Code to define “renewable biomass” and “renewable chemical” while establishing guidelines for mass balance attribution of renewable biomass feedstocks used to produce renewable chemicals. “Renewable biomass” encompasses materials from public lands that are byproducts of preventive treatments and certain organic matter from nonfederal or Indian lands. “Renewable chemical” refers to substances produced from these biomass feedstocks or certified through designated third-party systems. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is tasked with identifying appropriate certification systems. The act takes effect Sept. 1, 2025, by which the commission must implement necessary rules.

The bill was co-authored by Rep. Terri Leo-Wilson (Republican – District 23).

The bill received its final legislative approval on Friday, May 23, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, June 20.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.