Tesla uses new state law to sidestep Austin regulations at gigafactory
AUSTIN (Austin Business Journal) — Tesla Inc.’s huge electric vehicle factory in eastern Travis County will no longer be subject to city of Austin environmental regulations after the company used a new state law to have the property removed from the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction.
The controversial law — which some municipalities are challenging in court — took effect Sept. 1 and allows landowners on the fringes of major cities to petition for such removal, freeing them up to develop with fewer restrictions.
The law, known as Senate Bill 2038, was approved last year with strong support from developers and others in the business community because it enables them to build and operate under more limited county and state oversight.