Sec. 371.002. FINDINGS. The legislature finds that:

(1) when properly managed and recycled, used oil is a valuable energy resource;

(2) used oil can be recycled into a number of different products;

(3) improper disposal of used oil is a significant environmental problem and a waste of a potentially valuable energy resource;

(4) there is a need for an expanded statewide network of used oil collection sites for private citizens who change their own motor oil;

(5) the private sector, with incentives, is best equipped to establish and operate used oil collection centers that are convenient for the public;

(6) the need for publicly operated used oil collection centers is greatest in more sparsely populated areas of the state and should diminish over time;

(7) the United States Environmental Protection Agency has issued final regulations that properly classify and regulate used oil and used oil filters in accordance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (42 U.S.C. Section 6901 et seq.);

(8) the current used oil and used oil filter program in this state imposes more stringent management requirements than the regulations of the United States Environmental Protection Agency;

(9) limited public money is needed to finance public and private infrastructure investments to collect, manage, and recycle used motor oil;

(10) the used oil management standards under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (42 U.S.C. Section 6901 et seq.) establish a balanced approach to the objectives of preserving a valuable resource and protecting the natural environment; and

(11) recycling, reuse, treatment, or proper disposal of used oil produces a more advantageous cost-benefit ratio in accomplishing the goals of state law, and these considerations should be included in the source reduction and waste minimization plans adopted under Section 361.505 to the extent applicable.

Added by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 303, Sec. 8, eff. Sept. 1, 1991. Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 887, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995.