Enrolled Bill Summary

            Senate Bill 619 amends the Natural Resources Code to eliminate overlap with the federal government and consolidate oil spill prevention and response at the Texas General Land Office by removing the requirement that the commissioner of the General Land Office promulgate a state coastal discharge contingency plan and that the plan designate the Railroad Commission of Texas as the on-scene coordinator for oil spills of 240 barrels or less. The bill also removes the commissioner's authority to subject certain vessels to an audit, inspection, or drill related to the vessel's discharge prevention and response capabilities as a condition to being granted entry into any port in this state and removes the general authority to require vessels to show or report discharge prevention and response related information as a condition to being granted entry into a port. The bill credits interest or income on the coastal protection fund to the fund and authorizes the fund to be used for plugging abandoned or orphaned oil wells located on state-owned submerged lands. The bill repeals the requirement that $5 million be transferred from the fund to the oil-field cleanup fund when the balance of the fund reaches a certain amount. It eliminates requirements for judicial review of an order or decision of the commissioner related to enforcement. It also repeals provisions creating the Oil Spill Oversight Council and a related interagency council.