84R2885 AAF-F
By: Márquez, Larson, Lucio III, Galindo H.B. No. 1088
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the establishment of the Texas Technical Center for
Innovative Desalination at The University of Texas at El Paso in
partnership with The University of Texas at San Antonio.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 69, Education Code, is amended by adding
Subchapter C to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER C. TEXAS TECHNICAL CENTER FOR INNOVATIVE
DESALINATION
Sec. 69.51. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "center" means
the Texas Technical Center for Innovative Desalination established
under this subchapter.
Sec. 69.52. ESTABLISHMENT. (a) The Texas Technical Center
for Innovative Desalination is established as a joint partnership
of The University of Texas at El Paso and The University of Texas at
San Antonio.
(b) The organization, control, and management of the center
are vested in the board. The University of Texas at El Paso shall
administer the programs of the center.
(c) The center shall operate through The University of Texas
at El Paso's College of Engineering and The University of Texas at
San Antonio's College of Engineering. Participation in the
center's activities shall be open to any faculty member of either
university who is an active researcher in the field of water
desalination, engineering, hydrology, biology, water supply
development, energy efficiency, materials management, or another
relevant field as determined by the board.
Sec. 69.53. PURPOSE. The center is created to:
(1) promote interdisciplinary research, education,
and training for the development of state-of-the-art products,
materials, systems, and technologies designed for the desalination
of seawater from the Gulf of Mexico and brackish water within
surface and groundwater resources throughout the state;
(2) develop cost-effective, energy-efficient, and
environmentally sound water desalination, brine disposal, and
water conveyance technologies that can enhance the potential for
desalinated water to contribute toward the state's long-term water
portfolio; and
(3) develop and make available pertinent technical,
legal, and policy documents to advance the public's awareness about
the cost, usefulness, and applications of water desalination.
Sec. 69.54. POWERS AND DUTIES. The center shall:
(1) collaborate with appropriate international,
federal, state, and local agencies and private business or
nonprofit entities as necessary to develop innovative desalination
technologies;
(2) research and develop innovative seawater and
brackish water desalination technologies, including pretreatment
technologies and improvements, that:
(A) are cost effective and energy efficient;
(B) minimize environmental impacts; and
(C) offer long-term water supply solutions for
the state;
(3) research and develop innovative concentrate and
brine disposal methods and technologies that ensure responsible
environmental stewardship and create commercial markets for
by-products;
(4) research and develop water conveyance systems and
technologies that may be used to transport desalinated water to
target use populations;
(5) develop test facilities for evaluating the
performance of new products, materials, or techniques;
(6) develop specifications and standards for products
used for desalinating water, conveying water, and disposing of
concentrate or brine;
(7) provide public information, education, and
outreach regarding desalination technologies and appropriate uses
and conservation methods for desalinated water;
(8) provide data, recommendations, and any other
information necessary relating to desalination for local,
regional, or statewide water planning programs and processes;
(9) organize and host seminars and conferences
educating water utilities, educators, regulatory agencies, and
private entities on the center's work;
(10) research and develop brackish water systems that:
(A) are water and energy efficient; and
(B) could meet the demands of numerous small and
rural communities in the state; and
(11) advise state and federal agencies on the
inventory of the state's brackish water resources, including
brackish water resources located near the Texas-Mexico border.
Sec. 69.55. COLLABORATION WITH OTHER ENTITIES. The
University of Texas at El Paso and The University of Texas at San
Antonio shall encourage public, private, and nonprofit entities to
participate in or support the operation of the center and may enter
into an agreement with any public, private, or nonprofit entity for
that purpose. An agreement may allow the center to provide
information, services, or other assistance to an entity in exchange
for the entity's participation or support. The center shall
solicit active participation by researchers at other universities
and laboratories for the purposes of this subchapter.
Sec. 69.56. GIFTS AND GRANTS. The board shall solicit,
accept, and administer gifts and grants from any public or private
source, including local, state, and federal agencies, for the
purposes of this subchapter.
Sec. 69.57. PERSONNEL. The board may employ personnel for
the center as the board considers necessary.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2015.