LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
FISCAL NOTE, 83RD LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
Revision 1
 
March 6, 2013

TO:
Honorable Byron Cook, Chair, House Committee On State Affairs
 
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
HB677 by Geren (Relating to the regulation and enforcement of dam safety by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would exempt certain dams on private land meeting certain criteria from meeting Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's (TCEQ) Dam Safety Program criteria in counties under 350,000 population. Under current law, such dams are only exempted in counties under 215,000 population. The bill would also repeal the exemption expiration date, which would have the effect of permanently excluding dams that meet exemption criteria from Dam Safety Program requirements.
 
The TCEQ reports that only nine of 130 dams that would be exempted by the bill would be significant hazard dams, which means that the number of dams the agency would monitor, inspect, and regulate would only decrease by nine as a result of the bill's passage. The decreased workload is not expected to result in any significant cost savings to the TCEQ.


Local Government Impact

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


Source Agencies:
582 Commission on Environmental Quality
LBB Staff:
UP, AG, TL