LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 81ST LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

March 23, 2009

TO:	Honorable Kip Averitt, Chair, Senate Committee on Natural Resources
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB273 by Nichols (Relating to testing requirements for certain commercial injection wells.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would require permit applicants for commercial injection wells disposing of industrial or municipal waste to use on-site monitoring wells to monitor and analyze groundwater quality.  The proposed legislation would also require shallow soil tests. Reports on groundwater and soil quality would have to be submitted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).  Applicants and permittees would be required to comply with rules adopted by TCEQ regarding testing, monitoring, and reporting.  The legislation would apply to both Class I and Class V authorized or permitted injection wells. 

Any increase in workload to the TCEQ is not expected to have a significant impact on the agency's budget.

Local Government Impact

No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

455 Railroad Commission, 582 Commission on Environmental Quality, 592 Soil and Water Conservation Board

LBB Staff:

JOB, TL, WK