SRC-TJG, VRA H.B. 1594 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   H.B. 1594
By: West, George "Buddy" (Williams)
Natural Resources
5/19/2003
Engrossed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, Section 117, Natural Resources Code contains requirements for
community liaison activities between pipeline operators and local
officials.  H.B. 1594 amends provisions passed  by the 77th Texas
Legislature concerning the steps a pipeline operator must take to provide
safety related information to local fire, police, and public emergency
response officials.  Personal meetings with those local officials are
preferred.  However, if those local officials do not respond to
invitations for personal meetings, then the statute provides for other
alternatives. 

In current statute, there are specific provisions requiring pipeline
operators who have hazardous lines within 1,000 feet of a school to all
attend the first annual school board budget meeting for the district in
which that school is located and present their emergency response plans. 

H.B. 1594 amends the requirement that all pipeline operators attend the
first budget meeting.  It would instead specify the emergency response
information which must be sent to a school board, upon request of the
school board.  

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to
a state officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 117.012, Natural Resources Code, by amending
Subsections (h), (i), and (k), and adding Subsections (l) and (m), as
follows: 

(h)  Authorizes an operator or the operator's representative to conduct
required community liaison activities as provided by Subsection (i) only
if the operator or the operator's representative has made an effort, by
one or several specific methods, to conduct a community liaison meeting in
person with the officials.  

 (i)  Makes a conforming change.

(k)  Adds new language requiring the owner or operator of certain
hazardous facilities located within 1,000 feet of a public school building
containing classrooms, or within 1,000 feet of another public school
facility where students congregate, to perform certain actions. 

(l)  Requires a pipeline operator or the operator's representative to
appear at a regularly scheduled meeting of the school board to explain the
items listed in Subsection (k) if requested by the school board.  

(m)  Prohibits the Railroad Commission of Texas from requiring the release
of parts of an emergency response plan that describe the technical details
of vulnerabilities of the pipeline to an act of terrorism.  Requires
security sensitive information to be made available for review by but not
provided to the school board.          


 SECTION 2.  Effective date:  September 1, 2003.