By: Brown S.B. No. 1390
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the penalties for operating certain facilities without
1-3 obtaining a permit under the Texas Clean Air Act.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Subchapter L, Chapter 5, Water Code, is amended
1-6 by adding Section 5.5145 to read as follows:
1-7 Sec. 5.5145. EMERGENCY ORDER CONCERNING OPERATION OF ROCK
1-8 CRUSHER OR CONCRETE PLANT WITHOUT PERMIT. The commission shall
1-9 issue an emergency order under this subchapter suspending
1-10 operations of a rock crusher or a concrete plant that performs wet
1-11 batching, dry batching, or central mixing and is required to obtain
1-12 a permit under Section 382.0518, Health and Safety Code, and is
1-13 operating without the necessary permit.
1-14 SECTION 2. Section 7.052, Water Code, is amended by adding a
1-15 new Subsection (b), relettering existing Subsection (b) as
1-16 Subsection (c), and amending and relettering existing Subsection
1-17 (c) as Subsection (d) to read as follows:
1-18 (b) The amount of the penalty for operating a rock crusher
1-19 or a concrete plant that performs wet batching, dry batching, or
1-20 central mixing, that is required to obtain a permit under Section
1-21 382.0518, Health and Safety Code, and that is operating without the
1-22 required permit is $10,000. Each day that a continuing violation
1-23 occurs is a separate violation.
1-24 (c) The amount of the penalty for all other violations
1-25 within the jurisdiction of the commission to enforce may not exceed
2-1 $10,000 a day for each violation.
2-2 (d) Except as provided by Subsection (b), each [(c) Each]
2-3 day that a continuing violation occurs may be considered a separate
2-4 violation. The commission may authorize an installment payment
2-5 schedule for an administrative penalty assessed under this
2-6 subchapter, except for an administrative penalty assessed under
2-7 Section 7.057 or assessed after a hearing under Section 7.058.
2-8 SECTION 3. The changes in law made by Section 5.5145, Water
2-9 Code, as added by this Act, and Section 7.052, Water Code, as
2-10 amended by this Act, apply only to a violation that occurs on or
2-11 after the effective date of this Act. A violation that occurs
2-12 before that date is governed by the law in effect at the time the
2-13 violation occurred, and the former law is continued in effect for
2-14 that purpose.
2-15 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.