April 11, 2019
Among the more urgent tasks of the 86th Texas Legislature is the continuation of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, and state Sen. Dawn Buckingham‘s (and Sen. Brian Birdwell‘s) SB 604, renewing and amending some duties of the agency passed the Texas Senate on Thursday….
April 11, 2019
In “pursuit of efficiency and consistency,” a bill was passed by the Texas Senate to transfer the duty of regulating gasoline and diesel fuel pumps and fuel quality from the state Department of Agriculture to a “true regulatory entity,” the Texas Dept. of Licensing and Regulation, as the bill’s sponsor put it….
April 11, 2019
The Railroad Commission of Texas will be able to make direct purchases in connection with abandoned mines rather than wait for the state comptroller’s permission under a bill that passed the Texas Senate on Thursday….
April 11, 2019
With the rise of energy brokers in Texas, a bill passed by the Texas Senate on Thursday is intended to bring such brokers into registration requirements with the Public Utility Commission….
April 11, 2019
A bill eliminating public hearings in cases where recipients of violation notices don’t respond to PUC notifications has passed the Texas Senate….
April 11, 2019
A bill to ease the electricity market-share-review administrative burden of the Public Utility Commission of Texas has passed the Texas Senate…..
April 11, 2019
The Port of Galveston would receive access to money in the Ship Channel Improvement Revolving Fund under a bill passed by the Texas Senate on Thursday….
April 11, 2019
Former state representative Lon Bernum called a radioactive waste control bill before the Texas House Committee on Environmental Regulations the first in more than 15 years that is actually in the public interest…..
April 10, 2019
The Texas House Appropriations committee heard testimony recently about Rep. Brooks Landgraf‘s and Rep. Tom Craddick‘s GROW Texas Fund — that’s “Generate Recurring Oil Wealth.”…
April 10, 2019
The Texas House version of a Senate bill that’s already passed is now headed for the House floor….
April 10, 2019
A proposed bill to study the use of water in Culberson County was heard by the Texas House Committee on Natural Resources on Wednesday, with some concern from oil companies….
April 10, 2019
The management of disasters such as massive flooding and hurricanes such as Harvey is targeted by two bills passed on Wednesday….
April 10, 2019
A bill that essentially “gets the General Land Office out of the electricity business” passed the Texas House unanimously on Wednesday….
April 10, 2019
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality must “obtain or develop updated water availability models” (known as WAMs) for specified river basins.under a bill passed by the Texas House on Wednesday…..
April 10, 2019
The Texas House on Wednesday passed a bill consolidating the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying and the Texas Board of Professional Engineers, in keeping with recommendations by the Sunset Advisory Commission….
April 9, 2019
The Texas Senate has a new $248 billion budget utilizing $3.5 billion from the “Rainy Day” fund to go to Hurricane Harvey-related expenditures….
Reporter blames ‘faulty compression couplings’ in gas leaks, explosions, RRC says couplings are being replaced; Mechanical engineer calls the odor used in natural gas “very ineffective;” Mother pleads for legislation so no more families go through the death of a child as her’s did
April 8, 2019
Impassioned witnesses spoke in support of three bills aimed at increasing natural gas pipeline safety, one pleading for legislation that would prevent deaths such as that of her 12-year-old daughter, while another spoke of the ineffectiveness of the odorant used in gas,
The three bills (HB 864 on gas pipeline reporting requirements, HB 866 on replacement of pipes and HB 868 on disclosure of pipeline leaks) number among 11 filed by District 103 state Rep. Raphael Anchia in connection with gas explosions in North Texas….
April 8, 2019
With sometimes emotional testimony on Monday, two state commissions heard that the response to a Houston-area fire three weeks ago was actually very good but too many questions remain — and while the TCEQ could use more investigators the agency has some very “unique challenges” in its investigative processes.
A joint meeting of the Homeland Security and Public Safety and Environment committees heard about the March Intercontinental Terminals Company tank farm fire in Deer Park, testimony that was often very similar to witness accounts heard by the Select Committee on Ports last week….
April 8, 2019
The Texas House Appropriations committee on Monday passed to the whole House a bill creating a fund for planning and paying out to portions of the state that have been declared disaster areas….
April 7, 2019
Raven Petroleum has a new TCEQ air permit for a long-planned fractionation unit with proximity to several oil and gas developments, and now one of three refineries proposed for South and West Texas….