Honorable Joseph Pickett, Chair, House Committee on Environmental Regulation
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB2958 by Thompson, Ed (Relating to a temporary moratorium on permits for municipal solid waste facilities.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would prohibit the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) from accepting an application for, or issuing a permit, permit amendment, license, or other authorization for, or in connection with, a new solid waste facility, regardless of whether an application is pending on the effective date of the Act, until September 1, 2019. The bill would require TCEQ to conduct a study assessing the safety and regulation of solid waste facilities in the state. The study must consider the permit application and approval process; the restrictions regarding the location of solid waste facilities; inspections and enforcement of regulations; and any other matters considered appropriate by TCEQ. The bill would require a report on this study to be provided to each standing committee of the legislature with primary jurisdiction over environmental regulation no later than September 1, 2018.
Revenue losses associated with fees collected from applications for municipal solid waste facilities are estimated by TCEQ to be $20,000 in fiscal year 2018 and $20,000 in fiscal year 2019, based on the agency's estimate of the average number of permits and registrations received per year. These fees are deposited to the credit of the General Revenue-Dedicated Waste Management Account No. 549.
Local Government Impact
TCEQ estimates that if local governments are prohibited from building new or expanding existing solid waste facilities, the cost of processing and disposal of waste could increase.