Environment

Undoubtedly the most influential and important environmental legislation to come out of the 82^nd session is HB 2694, otherwise referred to as the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Sunset bill. Through this legislation Texas lawmakers reauthorized the state's environmental regulatory agency, the TCEQ, to continue its operations.  

HB 2694 establishes how TCEQ will operate over the next twelve years and integrates changes to the agency aimed at making it more effective and efficient. For more than two years lawmakers and Sunset staff worked on reviewing TCEQ while thousands of Texans participated in the agency’s Sunset review and recommendation process.

HB 2694 integrates a number of Texas Sunset Commission recommendations that significantly change TCEQ’s enforcement and compliance policy for the better. Improvements also strengthen TCEQ’s public participation process. Examples of changes with in the bill include:

• Focusing the Public Interest Counsel’s efforts on representing the public interest in matters before the Commission.
• Requiring changes to the current Compliance History program requirements.
• Providing for a public hearing and submission of public comment on permit amendment applications submitted by electric generating facilities.
• Increasing the maximum daily pollution fine from $10,000 to $25,000.

These changes strengthen the agency’s enforcement and compliance history while allowing for a more robust public participation process.  Ultimately, the bill provides Texans with more opportunity to voice concerns and recommendations to the agency charged with protecting their health and environment.

HOUSE

AYES - 109

Aliseda(R); Anderson, Charles(R); Anderson, Rodney(R); Aycock(R); Beck(R); Berman(R); Bohac(R); Bonnen(R); Branch(R); Brown, Fred(R); Burkett(R); Button(R); Cain(R); Callegari(R); Carter(R); Chisum(R); Christian(R); Cook(R); Craddick(R); Creighton(R); Crownover(R); Darby(R); Davis, John(R); Davis, Sarah(R); Driver(R); Eiland(D); Eissler(R); Elkins(R); Fletcher(R); Flynn(R); Frullo(R); Gallego(D); Garza(R); Geren(R); Gonzales, Larry(R); Gooden(R); Guillen(D); Hamilton(R); Hancock(R); Hardcastle(R); Harless(R); Harper-Brown(R); Hartnett(R); Hilderbran(R); Hopson(R); Howard, Charlie(R); Huberty(R); Hughes(R); Hunter(R); Isaac(R); Jackson, Jim(R); Keffer(R); King, Phil(R); King, Susan(R); King, Tracy(D); Kleinschmidt(R); Kolkhorst(R); Kuempel(R); Landtroop(R); Larson(R); Laubenberg(R); Lavender(R); Legler(R); Lewis(R); Lozano(D); Lyne(R); Margo(R); Martinez(D); McClendon(D); Miller, Doug(R); Miller, Sid(R); Morrison(R); Munoz(D); Murphy(R); Nash(R); Orr(R); Otto(R); Parker(R); Patrick, Diane(R); Paxton(R); Pena(R); Perry(R); Phillips(R); Pickett(D); Pitts(R); Price(R); Quintanilla(D); Riddle(R); Ritter(R); Schwertner(R); Scott(R); Sheets(R); Sheffield(R); Shelton(R); Simpson(R); Smith, Todd(R); Smith, Wayne(R); Smithee(R); Solomons(R); Taylor, Larry(R); Taylor, Van(R); Torres(R); Villarreal(D); Weber(R); White(R); Woolley(R); Workman(R); Zedler(R); Zerwas(R)

NAYS - 40

Allen(D); Alonzo(D); Alvarado(D); Anchia(D); Burnam(D); Castro(D); Coleman(D); Davis, Yvonne(D); Deshotel(D); Dukes(D); Dutton(D); Farias(D); Farrar(D); Giddings(D); Gonzales, Veronica(D); Gonzalez, Naomi(D); Gutierrez(D); Hernandez Luna(D); Hochberg(D); Howard, Donna(D); Johnson(D); Lucio III(D); Madden(R); Mallory Caraway(D); Marquez(D); Martinez Fischer(D); Menendez(D); Miles(D); Naishtat(D); Oliveira(D); Raymond(D); Reynolds(D); Rodriguez(D); Strama(D); Thompson(D); Truitt(R); Turner, Sylvester(D); Veasey(D); Vo(D); Walle(D)

PRESENT-NOT-VOTING - 1

Straus(R)

ABSENT - 0

SENATE

Passed unanimously on third reading and final passage.