Honorable Dennis Bonnen, Chair, House Committee on Environmental Regulation
FROM:
John S. O'Brien, Deputy Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB1899 by Bonnen (Relating to the regulation and permitting of a commercial industrial solid waste facility connected to a publicly owned treatment works facility. ), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would prohibit a commercial industrial solid waste facility from discharging into a publicly owned treatment works facility without first obtaining a permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), and it would prohibit commercial industrial solid waste facilities from accepting industrial solid waste on or after June 1, 2006, unless the facility has obtained a permit from the TCEQ as required by the bill. The TCEQ reports that the bill's provision requiring a permit for commercial industrial solid waste facilities would make the state hazardous waste program more stringent than the Federal Clean Water Act. However, the TCEQ does not anticipate any significant increases in costs associated with implementing the provisions of the bill.
Local Government Impact
Local governments operating treatment works facilities could incur additional costs associated with the verification of permits. However, this estimate assumes that any such costs would be passed along to the commercial industrial solid waste facilities discharging waste.