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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the requirement that retail water and utility services |
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maintain auxiliary generators for use during an extended power |
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outage. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 13.139, Water Code, is amended by adding |
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Subsections (e) and (f) to read as follows: |
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(e) A retail public utility required to possess a |
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certificate of public convenience and necessity and a district or |
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affected county that furnishes retail water or sewer utility |
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service shall incorporate and maintain on-site automatically |
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starting auxiliary generators capable of ensuring the operation of |
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the utility's water and sewer systems during an extended power |
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outage. |
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(f) The commission by rule shall establish the minimum |
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operating standards for auxiliary generators required by |
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Subsection (e). The standards must include the minimum length of |
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time and minimum operating capacity auxiliary generators must |
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maintain during an extended power outage. |
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SECTION 2. Not later than December 1, 2009, the Texas |
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Commission on Environmental Quality shall adopt standards as |
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required by Sections 13.139(e) and (f), Water Code, as added by this |
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Act. |
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SECTION 3. A retail public utility, district, or affected |
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county required to incorporate and maintain an auxiliary generator |
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under Sections 13.139(e) and (f), Water Code, as added by this Act, |
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shall comply with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality rules |
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adopted under those sections not later than January 31, 2010. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |