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House Bill 3098 |
House Author: Puente |
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Effective: 9-1-07 |
Senate Sponsor: Averitt |
Rules of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) include provisions relating to the Edwards Aquifer and its contributing zone, the area or watershed from which runoff contributes to aquifer recharge. The rules require various types of plans for regulated activities, including water pollution abatement plans, sewage collection plans, hydrocarbon or hazardous substance storage facility plans, and contributing zone plans. State law authorizes the TCEQ to impose fees for processing the first three types of plans or plan amendments and for undertaking related inspections. House Bill 3098 amends the Water Code to extend TCEQ's fee authority to also include contributing zone plans. Additionally, the bill increases the maximum fee for a plan from $5,000 to $6,500, except in the case of a fee for a water pollution abatement or contributing zone plan for a development of more than 40 acres, for which the bill sets a maximum fee of $13,000. Other provisions revise the criteria on which fee amounts are based and the purposes for which fee proceeds may be used by the TCEQ.