Enrolled Bill Summary

House Bill 1228 adds a new subchapter to the Water Code to provide for consolidation of the permit process for plants, facilities, and sites required to have multiple permits from the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission. The act requires the commission to consolidate the review of separate permits at the request of the applicant and to issue a consolidated permit upon application approval. Consolidation of federal operating permits required under the Clean Air Act for facilities emitting toxic air pollutants is prohibited. The act allows the commission to exempt solid waste management facilities in existence prior to September 1987, or any expansion of those facilities, from air impact review.

House Bill 1228 sets the same fee structure as for separate processing, but authorizes the commission to lower fees if consolidated processing results in savings to the agency.