Relating to planning and financial responsibility requirements for certain aggregate production operations; providing for the imposition of an administrative penalty.
Impact
The bill will amend the Water Code, primarily affecting the regulations governing aggregate production operations in Texas. By instituting strict requirements for restoration and reclamation, it aims to protect nearby water bodies from unauthorized discharges, thus enhancing the environmental oversight of such operations. The bill mandates that operators not only develop these plans but also maintain financial assurances to cover potential restoration costs, thereby promoting accountability and fiscal responsibility among operators.
Summary
House Bill 1163 establishes requirements for planning and financial responsibility for aggregate production operations, specifically focusing on operations located near the San Jacinto River and its tributaries. Under this bill, operators must submit comprehensive plans for restoration and reclamation of affected water bodies and land. The bill ensures that any discharge from aggregate operations is addressed with plans aimed at restoring water bodies to their original conditions.
Contention
Notable points of contention surrounding HB 1163 include concerns over the potential financial burden it may impose on aggregate producers, especially smaller operations. Critics argue that the administrative penalties for non-compliance, ranging from $25,000 to $80,000 depending on the duration without required financial responsibility, may hinder operational viability. Proponents of the bill emphasize its necessity in safeguarding Texas waterways and holding aggregate producers responsible for environmental impacts.
Texas Constitutional Statutes Affected
Water Code
Chapter 28. Water Wells And Drilled Or Mined Shafts
Relating to planning and financial responsibility requirements for certain aggregate production operations; providing for the imposition of an administrative penalty.
Relating to the regulation of certain aggregate production operations by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; authorizing an increase in the amount of a fee.
Relating to the regulation of money services businesses; creating a criminal offense; creating administrative penalties; authorizing the imposition of a fee.
Relating to border protection and economic development services, programs, and other measures, including measures to recruit health care professionals to the border region, improve border inspection efficiency, and enhance border region airport security and capacity, and establishing certain educational programs.
Relating to measures to address public safety threats in this state presented by transnational criminal activity, including by establishing a Texas Border Force, and to compensate persons affected by those threats; increasing criminal penalties; creating criminal offenses.
Relating to measures to enhance and maintain the quality of state universities, including funding and incentives to support emerging public research universities, to the abolition of the higher education fund, to the institutional groupings under the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's accountability system, to the independent status of Lamar Institute of Technology, to research conducted by public universities and other state entities, and to the authorization of revenue bonds for certain institutions of higher education.