| 1 | | - | By: Guillen (Senate Sponsor - Parker) H.B. No. 1238 |
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| 2 | | - | (In the Senate - Received from the House April 28, 2025; |
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| 3 | | - | April 29, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on |
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| 4 | | - | Natural Resources; May 8, 2025, reported favorably by the |
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| 5 | | - | following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0; May 8, 2025, sent to printer.) |
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| 6 | | - | Click here to see the committee vote |
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| 1 | + | By: Guillen H.B. No. 1238 |
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| 7 | 2 | | |
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| 8 | 3 | | |
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| 9 | 4 | | |
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| 10 | 5 | | |
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| 11 | 6 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 12 | 7 | | AN ACT |
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| 13 | 8 | | relating to the inspection of the location of a proposed Class I |
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| 14 | 9 | | injection well. |
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| 15 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 16 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 27.016, Water Code, is amended to read as |
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| 17 | 12 | | follows: |
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| 18 | 13 | | Sec. 27.016. INSPECTION OF WELL LOCATION. (a) On receiving |
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| 19 | 14 | | an application for a permit, the executive director shall: |
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| 20 | 15 | | (1) have an inspection made of the location of the |
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| 21 | 16 | | proposed disposal well to determine the local conditions and the |
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| 22 | 17 | | probable effect of the well; and |
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| 23 | 18 | | (2) [shall] determine the requirements for the setting |
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| 24 | 19 | | of casing, as provided in Sections 27.051, 27.055, and 27.056 [of |
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| 25 | 20 | | this code]. |
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| 26 | 21 | | (b) For a proposed Class I injection well, the executive |
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| 27 | 22 | | director may satisfy the requirements of Subsection (a) by |
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| 28 | 23 | | accepting an inspection report prepared by an engineer or |
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| 29 | 24 | | geoscientist licensed in this state. The report must: |
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| 30 | 25 | | (1) confirm that the engineer or geoscientist |
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| 31 | 26 | | inspected the location of the proposed injection well to determine |
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| 32 | 27 | | the local conditions and the probable effect of the well; and |
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| 33 | 28 | | (2) state the engineer's or geoscientist's |
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| 34 | 29 | | determination regarding the requirements for the setting of casing |
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| 35 | 30 | | as required by Subsection (a)(2). |
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| 36 | 31 | | (c) An engineer or geoscientist may conduct an inspection |
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| 37 | 32 | | under Subsection (b)(1): |
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| 38 | 33 | | (1) in person at the location of the proposed |
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| 39 | 34 | | injection well; or |
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| 40 | 35 | | (2) virtually through: |
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| 41 | 36 | | (A) satellite or other aerial imagery; |
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| 42 | 37 | | (B) mapping software; or |
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| 43 | 38 | | (C) other appropriate information sources. |
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| 44 | 39 | | (d) The executive director may require an engineer or |
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| 45 | 40 | | geoscientist that submits a virtual inspection described by |
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| 46 | 41 | | Subsection (c)(2) to conduct an additional in-person inspection if |
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| 47 | 42 | | the initial visual inspection reveals an issue the executive |
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| 48 | 43 | | director determines merits an in-person inspection. |
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| 49 | 44 | | SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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| 50 | 45 | | to a permit application filed with the Texas Commission on |
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| 51 | 46 | | Environmental Quality on or after the effective date of this Act. A |
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| 52 | 47 | | permit application filed before the effective date of this Act is |
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| 53 | 48 | | subject to the law in effect on the date the application is filed, |
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| 54 | 49 | | and that law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 55 | 50 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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