PORT DEVELOPMENT FUNDING.

(a) From money in the fund, the department shall fund:

(1) port development and infrastructure projects; and

(2) maritime port studies.

(b) The commission by rule may establish matching fund requirements for receiving money from the fund.

(c) Port development and infrastructure projects eligible for funding under this chapter include:

(1) construction or improvement of transportation facilities within the jurisdiction of a maritime port;

(2) the dredging or deepening of channels, turning basins, or harbors;

(3) the construction or improvement of wharves, docks, structures, jetties, piers, storage facilities, cruise terminals, or facilities necessary or useful, as determined by the committee, in connection with maritime port transportation or economic development;

(4) the construction or improvement of facilities necessary or useful in providing maritime port security;

(5) the acquisition of container cranes or other mechanized equipment used in the movement of cargo or passengers in commerce and trade;

(6) the acquisition of land to be used for maritime port purposes;

(7) the acquisition, improvement, enlargement, or extension of existing maritime port facilities; and

(8) environmental protection projects that:

(A) are required as a condition of a state, federal, or local environmental permit or other form of approval;

(B) are necessary for the acquisition of spoil disposal sites and improvements to existing and future spoil sites; or

(C) result from the undertaking of eligible projects.

(d) The department, in consultation with the committee, shall review the list of projects recommended by the committee to evaluate the economic benefit of each project. The commission, after receiving recommendations from the committee and from the department, shall approve projects or studies for funding based on its review.

(e) The commission may use money from the Texas Mobility Fund to provide funding for a port connectivity project.

(f) An applicant eligible for funding under this section may not receive more than 20 percent of the total amount of money appropriated to the department in a fiscal biennium to fund the applicant's eligible projects under this section.