| 1 | 1 | | 89R10085 ANG-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: King H.B. No. 2453 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to the authority of the Railroad Commission of Texas and |
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| 10 | 10 | | the Public Utility Commission of Texas to address a failure by an |
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| 11 | 11 | | operator to maintain an electrical power line serving a well site or |
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| 12 | 12 | | certain surface facilities in accordance with the National |
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| 13 | 13 | | Electrical Code. |
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| 14 | 14 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 15 | 15 | | SECTION 1. Section 91.019, Natural Resources Code, is |
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| 16 | 16 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 17 | 17 | | Sec. 91.019. STANDARDS FOR CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION, AND |
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| 18 | 18 | | MAINTENANCE OF ELECTRICAL POWER LINES. (a) An operator shall |
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| 19 | 19 | | construct, operate, and maintain an electrical power line serving a |
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| 20 | 20 | | well site or other surface facility employed in operations incident |
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| 21 | 21 | | to oil and gas development and production in accordance with the |
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| 22 | 22 | | National Electrical Code published by the National Fire Protection |
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| 23 | 23 | | Association and adopted by the Texas Commission of Licensing and |
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| 24 | 24 | | Regulation under Chapter 1305, Occupations Code. |
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| 25 | 25 | | (b) If, during an inspection of a well site or surface |
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| 26 | 26 | | facility employed in operations incident to oil and gas development |
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| 27 | 27 | | and production, the commission discovers a condition involving an |
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| 28 | 28 | | electrical power line that does not meet the standards described by |
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| 29 | 29 | | Subsection (a), the commission shall notify the Public Utility |
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| 30 | 30 | | Commission of Texas. To resolve the condition, the commission and |
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| 31 | 31 | | the Public Utility Commission of Texas, in collaboration, shall: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (1) notify the applicable electric utility providing |
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| 33 | 33 | | electric power to the well site or surface facility of the condition |
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| 34 | 34 | | and require the electric utility to make a determination regarding |
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| 35 | 35 | | whether electric power should be disconnected from the site or |
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| 36 | 36 | | facility; |
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| 37 | 37 | | (2) request that the state fire marshal or a local |
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| 38 | 38 | | government authority inspect the well site or surface facility and |
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| 39 | 39 | | require the operator to mitigate any dangerous conditions |
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| 40 | 40 | | identified by the state fire marshal or local government authority; |
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| 41 | 41 | | or |
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| 42 | 42 | | (3) issue notice to the applicable electric utility to |
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| 43 | 43 | | investigate the condition and disconnect electric service, if |
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| 44 | 44 | | necessary. |
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| 45 | 45 | | SECTION 2. Section 91.019, Natural Resources Code, as |
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| 46 | 46 | | amended by this Act, applies to an inspection that occurs on or |
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| 47 | 47 | | after the effective date of this Act. |
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| 48 | 48 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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