S.B. No. 1489
AN ACT
relating to the Gulf Coast Waste Disposal Authority.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 1.02, Chapter 409, Acts of the 61st
Legislature, Regular Session, 1969, is amended to read as follows:
Sec. 1.02. FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF POLICY. It is hereby
found and declared that the quality of waters in Chambers,
Galveston, and Harris Counties is materially affected by the
disposal of wastes throughout those counties; that regional
approaches to studying water pollution in these counties, to
planning corrective and preventive measures, to providing
coordinated facilities for waste disposal, and to regulating waste
disposal would be far more effective than efforts on a county-wide,
city-wide, or smaller scale; that solid wastes, as well as other
kinds of waste, may impair water quality by seepage, drainage, and
otherwise; that creation of the Gulf Coast [Waste Disposal]
Authority would advance the established policy of the state to
maintain the quality of the waters in the state consistent with the
public health and public enjoyment thereof, the propagation and
protection of terrestrial and aquatic life, the operation of
existing industries, and the economic development of the state; and
that impending shortage of water in the district for beneficial
uses requires that all reasonable measures be taken to prevent and
abate water pollution, and to reclaim polluted water for beneficial
uses.
SECTION 2. Section 1.03(a)(1), Chapter 409, Acts of the
61st Legislature, Regular Session, 1969, is amended to read as
follows:
(1) "Authority" means the Gulf Coast [Waste Disposal]
Authority created by this Act.
SECTION 3. Section 2.01, Chapter 409, Acts of the 61st
Legislature, Regular Session, 1969, is amended to read as follows:
Section 2.01. CREATION OF AUTHORITY. There is hereby
created, pursuant to Article XVI, Section 59, of the Texas
Constitution, a conservation and reclamation district to be known
as the Gulf Coast [Waste Disposal] Authority, which shall be a
governmental agency and body politic and corporate of the State of
Texas. A confirmation election shall not be necessary.
SECTION 4. Chapter 409, Acts of the 61st Legislature,
Regular Session, 1969, is amended by adding Section 2.015 to read as
follows:
Sec. 2.015. NAME CHANGE. A reference in law to the Gulf
Coast Waste Disposal Authority means the Gulf Coast Authority.
SECTION 5. Section 8104.006, Special District Local Laws
Code, is amended to read as follows:
Sec. 8104.006. RELATIONSHIP TO GULF COAST [WASTE DISPOSAL]
AUTHORITY. The rights, powers, privileges, and functions granted
to the authority under this chapter are subject to the powers
granted to the Gulf Coast [Waste Disposal] Authority in Chapter
409, Acts of the 61st Legislature, Regular Session, 1969 (Article
7621d-2, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), to provide disposal
systems.
SECTION 6. Section 8104.205, Special District Local Laws
Code, is amended to read as follows:
Sec. 8104.205. CONSENT REQUIRED FOR WASTE TREATMENT AND
DISPOSAL FACILITIES. Before acquiring or constructing a waste
treatment or disposal facility, the authority must obtain the
consent of the:
(1) Gulf Coast [Waste Disposal] Authority; or
(2) Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, if the
consent of the Gulf Coast [Waste Disposal] Authority is
unreasonably withheld or delayed.
SECTION 7. 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, 2017.
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1489 passed the Senate on
April 19, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1489 passed the House on
May 24, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 144, Nays 2, two
present not voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
Approved:
______________________________
Date
______________________________
Governor