TO: | Honorable Allan Ritter, Chair, House Committee on Natural Resources |
FROM: | Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
IN RE: | HB340 by Rodriguez, Eddie (Relating to the power of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to authorize certain injection wells that transect or terminate in the Edwards Aquifer.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted |
The bill would authorize the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) by rule or by general permit to authorize injection wells within the Edwards Aquifer. It would also authorize injection wells by general permit for injection wells that transect or terminate in the Edwards Aquifer. The bill prescribes public meeting requirements, monitoring well requirements, and defines what constitutes a small-scale research project. The bill would require the TCEQ to provide results of studies and monitoring by injection well owners to the Texas State University (TSU) within 15 days of receipt, and it would require TSU to review and analyze the information and report its finding to the TCEQ within 60 days. The TCEQ would be required to make information provided by the injection well owner and the report provided by TSU easily accessible to the public. The bill would allow the TCEQ to require operators to make modifications, if the agency determines such modifications are necessary to prevent an unreasonable risk to the fresh water portion of the EA.
The bill would take effect September 1, 2013.
No significant fiscal implications to the TCEQ or TSU are expected as a result of the bill's passage.
Source Agencies: | 455 Railroad Commission, 582 Commission on Environmental Quality, 758 Texas State University System
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LBB Staff: | UP, SZ, TL
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