Texas Comptrollers Office Expedites the Import of Motor Fuel into Texas in Response to Hurricane Harvey

Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas  Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced today that the Comptrollers office is working with the Office of the Governor and the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles to temporarily suspend certain requirements for motor vehicles engaged in interstate disaster relief efforts due to Hurricane Harvey. We hope the suspension of these requirements makes it easier to get needed fuel and relief supplies into the state so that Texans can receive the help they need as soon as possible Hegar said. To respond to the natural disaster and speed up the delivery of fuel into Texas from Sept. 1 through Sept. 30 the Comptrollers office will issue expedited licenses to motor fuel distributors importers and transporters to import fuel. The Comptrollers office will waive the bond requirement for these distributors and importers. There is no bond requirement for transporters. Distributors importers and transporters should electronically submit their applications to fuelstax@cpa.texas.gov. The application will be processed within 24 hours. Once processed the license status will be available through the Comptrollers online fuel license search tool. The agency also will accept refund claims from people who paid tax on clear diesel fuel purchased and used in off-highway equipment for hurricane relief and recovery efforts within declared disaster areas. The refund claim is valid for clear diesel fuel used from Aug. 25 through Sept. 15. In addition the Office of the Governor and Texas Department of Motor Vehicles announced on Aug. 31 that Texans who reside in affected disaster areas can avoid penalties for failure to register a vehicle on time obtain a vehicle inspection or transfer title to a vehicle. The suspension of these rules is set to last 45 days. The Office of the Governor also issued a temporary waiver of the International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) which will suspend requirements for trucking firms to pay tax on the amount of fuel they use in Texas when delivering needed relief supplies and fuel into the state. This waiver will be in effect until Sept. 30 at which point the Comptrollers office in conjunction with the office of the Governor will determine whether the waiver should be extended. For more information on the Comptrollers role in disaster relief efforts including information on the use of dyed diesel fuel see answers to frequently asked questions on the Comptrollers website.