Enrolled Bill Summary

            House Bill 1931 adds a new subchapter to the Natural Resources Code relating to construction affecting pipeline easements and rights-of-way. The bill prohibits a person from building, repairing, replacing, or maintaining certain constructions on, across, over, or under the easement or right-of-way for a pipeline facility unless notice of the construction is given to the operator of the facility and certain conditions are met. The bill amends provisions relating to pipeline safety emergency response plans to authorize the operator of a hazardous liquid or carbon dioxide pipeline facility to conduct required community liaison activities by means of a telephone conference call if the operator has made an effort by one of three methods, instead of by all three methods, to conduct a community liaison meeting in person with the officials. The bill requires the Railroad Commission of Texas by rule to require the owner or operator of each intrastate hazardous liquid or carbon dioxide pipeline facility, any part of which is located within 1,000 feet of a public school building containing classrooms or within 1,000 feet of another public school facility where students congregate, on written request from the school district, to provide in writing certain parts of a pipeline emergency response plan that are relevant to the school and to appear at a regularly scheduled meeting of the school board to explain the plan if requested. The bill prohibits the commission from requiring the release of parts of an emergency response plan that include security sensitive information, requiring instead that the information be made available for review, but not provided to the school board. Finally, the bill repeals the provision requiring a pipeline operator who builds or extends a pipeline system that crosses more than three counties to publish notice of the proposed route in a newspaper in each county.