The House Committee on Natural Resources has published their Interim Report to the 84th Legislature. Below is a spotlight on the recommendations that were offered by the committee.
Groundwater Recommendations
Groundwater Management Across the State
- Encourage groundwater conservation districts to maximize permitting of groundwater resources, whether for in-district or out-of-district purposes.
- Avoid any legislative changes this session that would require groundwater districts to operate under “statewide” uniform substantive rules. Continue to support local control of the groundwater resources within regional efforts.
- Continue to monitor the DFC, GMA, and joint planning processes, including the role of state agencies, regional planning groups, and local districts.
Long-Term Permitting
- Support collaborative efforts among the groundwater community to find a reasonable legislative solution to long-term permitting and automatic renewal processes that allow permittees certainty in creating water projects while simultaneously allowing districts the ability to monitor and manage groundwater resources.
Groundwater Science and Technologies
- Consider increasing financial support to state agencies and local districts for the improvement and further development of data and research that helps provide insight into the state's resources at the state, regional, and local levels.
- Evaluate confined versus unconfined aquifers and the impact of the pumping of groundwater sources on spring flow.
- Encourage further regulatory streamlining for the permitting of brackish desalination and ASR technologies. Avoid legislation that would remove brackish groundwater from regulation based solely on TDS levels, and focus instead on finding ways to incentivize use of brackish water that would reduce pressures on fresh groundwater use while also meeting the state’s growing water needs.
- Support collaborative efforts among the groundwater community to create rules and procedures for the expansion of ASR facilities across the state.
Land Stewardship Recommendations
- Provide a state-supported revenue source to support current programs at the state level and incentivize landowners to conserve and steward land.
- Examine other ways to expand incentives for landowners to steward and conserve natural resources through potential tax deductions or land valuation exemptions for activities like water conservation and management.
- Enhance legislative oversight on the use of BP funds to ensure that those funds benefit Texas' coastal ecosystems – a goal that ties into this charge as well.
Aquifer Storage and Recovery
- Consider streamlining state statutory regulations to incentivize the implementation of aquifer storage and recovery projects in the state, where feasible.
- Develop a mechanism for the clear determination of the reasonable ownership rights of water stored in aquifer storage projects, considering adequate, necessary buffer zones and existing ownership rights.
- Continue to monitor and evaluate the science of aquifer storage and recovery technologies across the state and globally.
2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Funds
- Continue to monitor the progress and recommendations of the oversight agencies regarding the function and administration of the funds provided to the state in relation to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.
- Enhance legislative participation through the appointment of legislative members to certain governor created and appointed councils.
- Increase transparency through implementation of reporting requirements of the distribution and receipt of the funds provided to the state in relation to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.