MINUTES 
                                           
                       SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES 
                              Tuesday, August 8, 2006 
                                     10:00 a.m. 
              North Harris County Regional Water Authority, Suite 110 
                                3648 F.M. 1960 West 
                                   Houston, Texas 
                                           
                                       ***** 
                                           
         Pursuant to a notice posted in accordance with Senate Rule  
         11.18, a public hearing of the Senate Committee on Natural  
         Resources was held on Tuesday, August 8, 2006, in the Houston,  
         Texas 
          
                                       ***** 
                                           
         MEMBERS PRESENT:                        MEMBERS ABSENT: 
         Senator Kip Averitt                     Senator Craig Estes 
         Senator Gonzalo Barrientos              Senator Robert Duncan 
         Senator Jon Lindsay                     Senator Troy Fraser 
         Senator Kel Seliger                     Senator Juan Hinojosa 
                                                 Senator Mike Jackson 
                                                 Senator Frank Madla 
                                                 Senator Todd Staples 
                                           
                                       ***** 
                                           
         The chair called the meeting to order at 10:01 p.m.  The  
         following business was transacted:   
         The following testified before the Committee: 
          
         Al Rendl, President, North Harris County Regional Water Authority 
         Larry Soward, Commissioner, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality 
         Mark Vickery, Deputy Executive Director, Texas Commission on  
         Environmental Quality 
         Kevin Ward, Executive Administrator, Texas Water Development Board 
          
         Wall Street Perspective on Water Financing Panel 
         Roy Torkelson, Senior Advisor, Environmental Finance, East Group 
         John Ma, Vice President, Municipal Finance and Infrastructure Group,  
         Goldman Sachs 
          
         At 12:20 p.m. Senator Averitt moved that the committee stand recessed  
         until 12:50 p.m; without objection, it was so ordered.   
          
         At 12:51 p.m. the committee reconvened.   
          
         The following testified before the Committee:      
          
         Christopher Malinowski, Texas Water Division Manager, PBS&J 
         Jimmie Schindewolf, General Manager, North Harris County Regional  
         Water Authority 
         Dan Sallee, West Harris County Regional Water Authority 
         Bill Mullican, Deputy Executive Administrator, Texas Water Development  
         Board 
          
         Review of Statutory Barriers to Implementation of State Water Plan  
         Panel 
         Ed McCarthy, Attorney, Jackson, Sjoberg, McCarthy & Wilson 
         Ken Ramirez, Attorney, Brown McCarroll 
         Robert Stokes, Attorney and President, Galveston Bay Association 
         Glenn Jarvis, Attorney, Law Offices of Glenn Jarvis 
         Lynn Sherman, Attorney, Winstead Consulting Group 
               
         Review of Regional Water Planning Group Barriers to Implementation of  
         State Water Plan Panel 
         Tom Gooch, Engineer, Freese and Nichols (Region C) 
         Ed Archuleta, General Manager, El Paso Public Service Board (Region E) 
         Jeff Taylor, Deputy Director, Public Utilities Division, City of Houston  
         (Region H) 
         Bill West, General Manager, Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (Region  
         L) 
         John Bruciak, General Manager, Brownsville Public Utilities Board  
         (Region M) 
               
         The Chair opened public testimony and called the following: 
         George M. Burlingame, Guardians of the Colorado River and Desal 
         R.J. Koperwhats, WCID #91 
          
         The following registered but did not testify: 
         L.G. Raun, CBGCD/Region P/ TX Rice Producers 
          
         There being no further business, Senator Averitt moved that the  
         Committee stand recessed until 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August  
         9, 2006.  Without objection, it was so ordered.   
          
         _____________________________ 
         Senator Kip Averitt, Chair 
          
         _____________________________ 
         Teddy Carter, Clerk