HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

COMMITTEE:   Natural Resources 

TIME & DATE: 1:00 PM, Thursday, October 13, 2016 

PLACE:       E2.010 
CHAIR:       Rep. Jim Keffer 

The Committee will meet to consider the following interim charges:

Interim Charge 3:

Analyze the factors contributing to freshwater loss in the state, including evaporation, excess flows into the Gulf of Mexico, and infrastructure inefficiencies, and examine techniques to prevent such losses, including aquifer storage and recovery, off-channel storage, and infrastructure enhancements.

Interim Charge 1:

1. Examine the regional and state water planning processes, with emphasis on the following:

a. the integration of HB 4 (83R);

b. the appropriate role of the state in ensuring that the process both supports regional goals and priorities and the water needs of the state as a whole, and how the state might encourage strategies to benefit multiple regions;

c. the structure and operation of the regional planning groups;

d. the interaction between the planning process and groundwater management;

e. whether the "drought of record" remains the appropriate benchmark for planning; and

f. any impediments to meeting the conservation, agricultural, and rural project goals set by HB 4 (83R), and possible new approaches to help meet these goals.

Interim Charge 9:

Conduct legislative oversight and monitoring of the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction and the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 84th Legislature. In conducting this oversight, the committee should:

a. consider any reforms to state agencies to make them more responsive to Texas taxpayers and citizens;

b. identify issues regarding the agency or its governance that may be appropriate to investigate, improve, remedy, or eliminate;

c. determine whether an agency is operating in a transparent and efficient manner;

d. identify opportunities to streamline programs and services while maintaining the mission of the agency and its programs; and

e. review the surface water permitting process in Texas, including previous legislative attempts to modify the process, and assess the potential effects of these and other changes.

The committee will hear both invited and public testimony.

NOTICE OF ASSISTANCE AT PUBLIC MEETINGS

Persons with disabilities who plan to attend this meeting and who may need assistance, such as a sign language interpreter, are requested to contact Stacey Nicchio at (512) 463-0850, 72 hours prior to the meeting so that appropriate arrangements can be made.