HBA-AMW S.B. 1600 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 1600 By: Staples Natural Resources 5/2/2001 Engrossed BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Texas residents are currently facing growing water demands. Citizens in certain areas of Texas rely heavily on groundwater as their water source. To meet the growing water needs of its citizens, the state will have to use water efficiently as well as look for other alternatives for water supplies such as building new water reservoirs. The Angelina Neches River Authority (ANRA) has been granted a permit that authorizes the construction of the Lake Eastex project (project), a dam and reservoir on Mud Creek. This project will provide an alternative water source in the surrounding five county area. In the past, ANRA has been granted extensions on this project to facilitate the lengthy development process. ANRA has applied with the United States Army Corps of Engineers and is currently awaiting approval on a permit to allow the discharge of dredged or fill material into the navigable waters at specified disposal sites. The current deadline for commencement of the project is September 1, 2001. Senate Bill 1600 extends the deadline for commencement of construction on the project to September 1, 2011. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS Senate Bill 1600 provides that the legislature finds that the proposed Lake Eastex project (project) is a rural water project for political subdivisions and that its construction and development are in the public interest. The bill extends current deadlines for commencement and completion of construction and requires construction of the project to begin not later than September 1, 2011, and be completed not later than September 1, 2017. The bill authorizes the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) to further extend the deadlines for good cause. The bill requires TNRCC to issue without notice or hearing an amendment to the permit extending the deadlines for commencement and completion of the project. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001.