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House Bill 2619 |
House Author: Callegari |
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Effective: 6-17-11 |
Senate Sponsor: Whitmire |
House Bill 2619 amends Water Code provisions relating to the coordination of emergency operations of an affected utility that is a retail public utility, exempt utility, or provider or conveyor of potable or raw water service that furnishes water service to more than one customer in a county with a population of 3.3 million or more or in a county with a population of 400,000 or more adjacent to a county with a population of 3.3 million or more.
The bill removes a county judge from the list of entities to which an affected utility is required to submit a copy of its approved emergency preparedness plan and a copy of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's notification that the plan is accepted. The bill removes the county judge and includes each electric utility that provides transmission and distribution service to an affected utility and each retail electric provider that sells electric power to the affected utility, in addition to certain other entities, as entities to which each affected utility is required to submit certain emergency contact information and information identifying the location and providing a general description of all water and wastewater facilities that qualify for critical load status. The bill requires an affected utility to annually submit such identifying, descriptive, and emergency contact information, as well as any forms reasonably required by an electric utility or retail electric provider for determining critical load status, to each electric utility that provides transmission and distribution service to the affected utility and to each retail electric provider that sells electric power to the affected utility. The bill requires an electric utility and a retail electric provider, if the electric utility determines that an affected utility's facilities do not qualify for critical load status and within a specified period after receiving certain required information, to provide a detailed explanation of the electric utility's determination to the affected utility and the office of emergency management of each county in which the affected utility's facilities are located.