By:  Gallego                                                      H.B. No. 3471


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to restrictions on the leasing of and export of groundwater from public school land; imposing a fee. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 51.121, Natural Resources Code, is amended by adding Subsection (f) to read as follows: (f) The commissioner may not lease the right to produce groundwater from public school land unless the land is within the boundaries of a groundwater conservation district. SECTION 2. Subchapter D, Chapter 51, Natural Resources Code, is amended by adding Section 51.1215 to read as follows: Sec. 51.1215. FEE ON GROUNDWATER EXPORTS; GROUNDWATER EXPORT MITIGATION ACCOUNT. (a) The commissioner shall impose a fee, in the amount determined by the commissioner for each gallon of groundwater exported, on the export of groundwater from public school land. (b) The commissioner shall deposit the fee imposed under Subsection (a) to the credit of the groundwater export mitigation account. The groundwater export mitigation account is an account in the general revenue fund that may be appropriated only to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for the purposes of: (1) mitigating damage to nearby landowners, municipalities, and other users of groundwater caused by the export of groundwater from public school land; and (2) conducting independent scientific studies of water resources on state lands. SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2005.