By: King of Uvalde, Guillen H.B. No. 3516
(Senate Sponsor - Perry)
(In the Senate - Received from the House April 27, 2021;
May 6, 2021, read first time and referred to Committee on Natural
Resources & Economic Development; May 10, 2021, rereferred to
Committee on Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs; May 19, 2021,
reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0;
May 19, 2021, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the regulation of the recycling of fluid oil and gas
waste.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 122.004, Natural Resources Code, is
amended to read as follows:
Sec. 122.004. COMMISSION RULES FOR TREATMENT AND BENEFICIAL
USE. (a) The commission shall adopt rules to govern the treatment
and beneficial use of oil and gas waste.
(b) Rules adopted under this section must:
(1) encourage fluid oil and gas waste recycling for
beneficial purposes; and
(2) establish standards for the issuance of permits
for commercial recycling of fluid oil and gas waste.
(c) In adopting rules under this section, the commission
shall consider previously adopted rules for recycling fluid oil and
gas waste.
(d) Rules adopted under this section for commercial
recycling of fluid oil and gas waste must establish:
(1) minimum siting standards for fluid recycling pits;
(2) uniform technical, construction, and placement
standards;
(3) uniform standards for estimating closure costs;
(4) minimum and maximum bonding and financial security
amounts based on factors determined by the commission; and
(5) standards for sampling and analysis of fluid oil
and gas waste.
(e) The commission shall approve or deny an application for
a permit issued under rules adopted under this section not later
than the 90th day after the date the complete application was
received by the commission, unless a protest is filed with the
commission, in which case the commission may extend the amount of
time to approve or deny the application in order to allow for
notice, public comment, and a public hearing on the application. If
the commission does not approve or deny the application before that
date, the permit application is considered approved and the
applicant may operate under the terms specified in the application
for a period of one year.
(f) An application requesting a variance from the standards
adopted under this section must be evaluated and determined to be
substantially similar to previous variances approved by the
commission.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.
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