Below is the HillCo client report from the July 8 Railroad Commission meeting.
The report below covers specific agenda items taken up during the July 8, 2014 meeting of the Railroad Commission of Texas.
Christina Self, Office of General Council
- Proposed amendments to 16 TAC Chapter 1 §1.86 (alignment of municipal interveners for purposes of discovery), §1.87 (limitations on discovery requests), and Chapter 7 §7.5530 (allowable expenses)
- link to proposed language for §1.86, §1.87, and §7.5530
- New rules regarding rate case expenses and discovery. These rules are intended to reduce rate-case expenses and promote the efficient resolution of cases by aligning parties and reducing the duplication of services
- Adopted for publish in the Texas Register
- Proposed amendments to 16 TAC Chapter 3 §3.70 relating to T-4 pipeline permit procedure
- The proposed rule creates a more rigorous, thorough review to establish pipeline operator’s status/classification as a common carrier, gas utility, or private line operator when apply for a new T-4 permit to operate a pipeline or when renewing, amending, or cancelling an existing T-4 permit
- If the rule is adopted, more specifics will be developed on T-4 and the form will be brought back to the commission for further discussion
- link to proposed language for §3.70
- Adopted for publish in Texas Register
Milton Rister, Executive Director RRC
- Item 321- No updates
- Item 322- No updates
David Cooney, Director of Enforcement on behalf of Lindil Fowler General Counsel RRC
- On June 23, 2014 SCOTUS held that the EPA exceeded its statutory authority when it interpreted the Clean Air Act to require permitting for stationary sources based solely on their greenhouse gas emissions
- On June 18, 2014 the EPA published its rules for greenhouse gas emissions and comments are due October 16, 2014
- There will be a hearing in the House Environmental and Regulations Committee in September
- Smitherman encourages everyone to file comments—says proposal is staggering in scope and places a heavier burden on Texas than any other state
- The states in the Oklahoma Lesser Prairie Chicken lawsuit filed an amended complaint last week and two weeks ago the Permian Basin Petroleum Assoc. filed its suit, with four New Mexico counties, asking the Western District of Texas to vacate the listing as threatened
- Additionally, the Sage Grouse is being contemplated for an endangered listing
- Smitherman asked for an update during the next meeting on the status/details of the potential Sage Grouse listing