TO: | Honorable Kip Averitt, Chair, Senate Committee on Natural Resources |
FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
IN RE: | SB2316 by Averitt (Relating to the annual water quality fee for wastewater discharge permit holders and water right users through permit or contract.), As Introduced |
Fiscal Year | Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds |
---|---|
2010 | $0 |
2011 | $0 |
2012 | $0 |
2013 | $0 |
2014 | $0 |
Fiscal Year | Probable Revenue Gain from Water Resource Management 153 |
Probable Savings/(Cost) from All Local Units of Government |
---|---|---|
2010 | $4,500,000 | ($2,400,000) |
2011 | $4,500,000 | ($2,400,000) |
2012 | $4,500,000 | ($2,400,000) |
2013 | $4,500,000 | ($2,400,000) |
2014 | $4,500,000 | ($2,400,000) |
The TCEQ administers two fees that would be affected by the bill: the Consolidated Water Quality Fee and the Water Use Assessment Fee. Fee revenue from both sources is deposited into the General Revenue-Dedicated Water Resource Management Account No. 153. Rates for the Consolidated Water Quality Fee are based on factors set forth in agency rules and currently there are 65 permits out of approximately 3,300 permits that are assessed the maximum fee of $75,000.
This estimate assumes that the TCEQ would continue to assess the Consolidated Water Quality Fee on fee variables set in current agency rules. Therefore, even though the bill would allow the agency to charge a larger maximum fee, it is not expected that all 65 permit holders would be charged the $200,000 fee maximum authorized by the bill. Under current TCEQ rules, 22 permits would be assessed the maximum rate of $200,000 and 43 others would be assessed a rate between the existing $75,000 and the proposed maximum of $200,000. Based on this methodology, the TCEQ estimates that an additional $4.5 million in revenue deposited to the Water Resource Management Account No. 153 will be generated annually as a result of the bill's passage.
The bill does authorize the use of a $200,000 fee maximum for the Water Use Assessment Fee, but this estimate does not assume that any Water Use Assessment Fee permits will be set at the bill’s maximum rate.
Source Agencies: | 580 Water Development Board, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 582 Commission on Environmental Quality
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LBB Staff: | JOB, WK, ZS, TL, SD
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