LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 79TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

February 21, 2005

TO:	Honorable George "Buddy" West, Chair, House Committee on Energy Resources
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Deputy Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB472 by West, George "Buddy" (Relating to annual fees imposed by the Railroad Commission of Texas in connection with surface coal mining and reclamation operations.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would provide additional authority to the Railroad Commission for assessing fees in connection with surface coal mining and reclamation operations. In addition to the current authority the Commission has to assess fees on each acre of land in the permit area on which the
permit holder conducts operations for removing coal during a given calendar year, the Commission also could assess a fee for each active permit for each acre of operations bonded as of December 31^st of each year and another for each permit in effect as of December 31^st of each year.

This estimate assumes that the total amount of surface coal mining and reclamation fees the Railroad Commission would charge upon enactment of the bill would continue to cover only those costs associated with the surface mining program. Since the bill would not result in any such costs increasing, no significant change in revenues to the state is anticipated.

Local Government Impact

No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 455 Railroad Commission

LBB Staff:

JOB, WK, ZS, TL