The Wise Report

Texas State Legislature is Now in Session – A List of Bills of Potential Interest to Geoscientists

The State Legislature is now in session. The following is a list of bills of potential interest to geologists. There are two new bills this week. New information is listed in bold:

HB 484, by Spring, Relating to training required to qualify for or renew a license issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The TCEQ must provide a location within 100 miles of the place of employment of a person who is required to receive the training, reimbursement for travel and lodging expenses incurred if training isn’t available within 100 miles, or online training. Filed 12/2/2016. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=85R&Bill=HB484

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The Wise Report

Texas State Legislature is Now in Session: Bills of Potential Interest

The State Legislature is now in session.  The following is a list of bills of potential interest to geologists.  New information is listed in bold:

HB 484, by Spring, Relating to training required to qualify for or renew a license issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The TCEQ must provide a location within 100 miles of the place of employment of a person who is required to receive the training, reimbursement for travel and lodging expenses incurred if training isn’t available within 100 miles, or online training. Filed 12/2/2016. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=85R&Bill=HB484

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Bills Relating to TCEQ Licenses, Costs & Environmental Effects of New Environmental Rules, and Bill to Require Notice of an Application to Drill Injection Wells within 10 Miles of Groundwater Conservation District

The State Legislature meets starting January 10th and bills are already being filed.  New information is listed in bold (one new bill listed):

HB 484, by Spring, Relating to training required to qualify for or renew a license issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The TCEQ must provide a location within 100 miles of the place of employment of a person who is required to receive the training, reimbursement for travel and lodging expenses incurred if training isn’t available within 100 miles, or online training. Filed 12/2/2016. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=85R&Bill=HB484

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The Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) adopts amendments to §3.15, relating to Surface Equipment Removal Requirements and Inactive Wells, with one change to the proposed text as published in the August 26, 2016, issue of the Texas Register (41 TexReg 6311). The RRC adopts the amendments to more accurately track when inactive wells have been returned to production, thereby reducing the administrative burden for the operators of those wells and associated costs to industry. The RRC adopts the amendments with an effective date of January 1, 2017.  For more information go to:  http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/archive/December22016/

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On July 6, 2016, TCEQ commissioners approved publication of a proposed rule on the use of graywater. The proposed rule implements House Bill 1902, 84th Texas Legislature, which requires the TCEQ to:

  • Develop standards to allow the reuse of graywater for toilet and urinal flushing;
  • Create a new regulatory classification for “alternative onsite water” which the bill defines as “rainwater, air conditioning condensate, foundation drain water, storm water, cooling tower blowdown, swimming pool backwash and drain water, reverse osmosis reject water, or any other source of water considered appropriate by the commission” and develop standards for the reuse of alternative onsite water similar to the standards for graywater;
  • Allow an adjustment in the drainfield size of an on-site sewage facility (OSSF) if used in conjunction with a graywater reuse system; and
  • Develop a regulatory guidance manual to explain the graywater and alternative onsite water regulations.
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The Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists has issued Advisory Opinion AOR #13 (2015).

Is Texas P.G. licensure and/or firm registration required if a P.G. licensed in another state physically moves his or her firm to Texas and engages in the following activities?

  1. Establishes a Texas LLC (is a Texas corp. for at least some tax purposes).
  2. Solicits and engages in work solely within his/her original state of practice and residence, except for the fact that the office-based portion of the work (report preparation, administration, etc.) is done in the new Texas LLC’s office.
  3. Maintains current licensure in the original state.
  4. The LLC advertises that services are offered only in the original state of licensure.
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This legislative session is now closed. The following bills that may be of interest to Texas geologists have been sent to the Governor for his signature. Seven were signed by the Governor, two were vetoed, and one was filed without the signature of the Governor.

HB 30, by Larson and Vilalba, Relating to the development of brackish groundwater. 6/19/2015 Signed by the Governor. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=84R&Bill=HB30

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The following bills that may be of interest to Texas geologists have been filed. New information is listed in bold (No new bills listed; three bills have been sent to the Governor.):

HB 30, by Larson and Vilalba, Relating to the development of brackish groundwater. 5/22/2015 Senate Testimony taken in committee. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=84R&Bill=HB30

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Senate Bill (SB) 1532 was passed during the 83rd Texas Legislature in 2013. The intent of the legislation was to provide a statutory and regulatory basis to promote research that could make desalination of brackish groundwater and aquifer storage and recovery more viable in the Edwards Aquifer. Within the geographic aea circumscribed by the external boundaries of the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District but not within the district’s territory, Texas Water Code (TWC), §27.0516 allows the commission to authorize, by rule or general permit, certain injection wells that transect or terminate in the Edwards Aquifer while providing a statutory and regulatory basis that is protective of the freshwater aquifer and supportive of desalination and aquifer storage and recovery. A summary of the rulemaking by the TCEQ can be found at: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/legal/rules/rule_lib/adoptions/13056037_aex.pdf

A copy of the proposed rule can be found at: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/legal/rules/rule_lib/adoptions/13053331_ado.pdf

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The following bills that may be of interest to Texas geoscientists have been filed. New information is listed in bold:

HB 30, by Larson, Relating to the development of brackish groundwater. 45/8/2015 Passed. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=84R&Bill=HB30

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