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House Bill 2377 |
House Author: Larson et al. |
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Effective: Vetoed |
Senate Sponsor: Perry |
House Bill 2377 amends the Water Code to authorize a groundwater conservation district located over any part of a designated brackish groundwater production zone to adopt rules to govern the issuance of permits for the completion and operation of a well for the withdrawal of brackish groundwater from such a zone and to require such a district to adopt such rules if the district receives a petition from a person with a legally defined interest in groundwater in the district. The bill, among other provisions, specifies the projects for which a person may obtain a permit under the adopted rules, requirements for the adopted rules, and the required contents for an application for a brackish groundwater production zone operating permit and provides for a technical review of an application by the Texas Water Development Board.
Governor's Reason for Veto: "House Bill 2377 sought to authorize groundwater conservation districts to implement special permitting rules relating to the completion and operation of wells for the withdrawal of brackish groundwater. The bill's permitting rules are unduly prescriptive and would create a separate and complex bureaucratic process for the permitting of brackish wells. The Texas Water Development Board already has significant authority in this area, including the ability to designate brackish groundwater production zones and to approve local water management plans. While the development of brackish water resources as a potential means of meeting our state's future water needs is important, House Bill 2377 went about it the wrong way. The next Legislature should consider a simpler and less bureaucratic way to provide greater access to brackish water."