| 2 | | - | |
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| 3 | | - | |
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| 2 | + | (In the Senate - Filed February 3, 2025; February 24, 2025, |
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| 3 | + | read first time and referred to Committee on Natural Resources; |
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| 4 | + | March 17, 2025, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 9, |
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| 5 | + | Nays 0; March 17, 2025, sent to printer.) |
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| 6 | + | Click here to see the committee vote |
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| 11 | | - | SECTION 1. Section 27.0513, Water Code, is amended by |
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| 12 | | - | adding Subsection (c-1) and amending Subsection (d) to read as |
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| 13 | | - | follows: |
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| 14 | | - | (c-1) The commission shall prioritize the conservation of |
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| 15 | | - | regional groundwater water supplies when establishing the methods |
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| 16 | | - | under Subsection (c) for determining the restoration table values |
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| 17 | | - | for a portion of an aquifer that the United States Environmental |
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| 18 | | - | Protection Agency prohibits from being used as an underground |
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| 19 | | - | source of drinking water. |
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| 14 | + | SECTION 1. Section 27.0513(d), Water Code, is amended to |
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| 15 | + | read as follows: |
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| 20 | 16 | | (d) Notwithstanding Sections 5.551, 5.556, 27.011, and |
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| 21 | 17 | | 27.018, an application for an authorization or an amendment to an |
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| 22 | 18 | | authorization that allows the permit holder to conduct mining and |
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| 23 | 19 | | restoration activities in production zones within the boundary |
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| 24 | 20 | | established in the permit is an uncontested matter not subject to a |
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| 25 | 21 | | contested case hearing or the hearing requirements of Chapter 2001, |
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| 26 | 22 | | Government Code, if: |
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| 27 | 23 | | (1) the authorization is for a production zone located |
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| 28 | 24 | | within the boundary of a permit that incorporates, for each |
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| 29 | 25 | | production zone addressed in the application, a range table of |
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| 30 | 26 | | groundwater quality restoration values used to measure groundwater |
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| 31 | 27 | | restoration by the commission; |
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| 32 | 28 | | (2) the application includes, for each production zone |
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| 33 | 29 | | addressed in the application, groundwater quality restoration |
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| 34 | 30 | | values falling at or below the upper limit of the range established |
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| 35 | 31 | | in Subdivision (1); and |
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| 36 | 32 | | (3) the authorization is for a production zone located |
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| 37 | 33 | | within the boundary of a permit that incorporates groundwater |
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| 38 | 34 | | baseline characteristics of the wells for the application required |
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| 39 | 35 | | by commission rule. |
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| 40 | 36 | | SECTION 2. Sections 27.0513(f) and (g), Water Code, are |
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| 41 | 37 | | repealed. |
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| 42 | 38 | | SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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| 43 | 39 | | to an application for an authorization or an amendment to an |
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| 44 | 40 | | authorization that is submitted to the Texas Commission on |
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| 45 | 41 | | Environmental Quality on or after the effective date of this Act. |
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| 46 | 42 | | An application for an authorization or an amendment to an |
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| 47 | 43 | | authorization that was submitted to the commission before the |
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| 48 | 44 | | effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect at the |
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| 49 | 45 | | time the application or amendment was submitted, and the former law |
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| 50 | 46 | | is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 51 | 47 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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