What Is The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality?

Background

The Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ), known as the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission until 1993, is Texas’ state environmental agency. The agency was created by the Texas Legislature in 1991, after combining the Texas Water Commission and the Texas Air Control Board to provide synthesis and cohesion in environmental standards. The agency focuses mostly on promoting clean air and water and the safe management of waste in Texas. It also serves as a watchdog for the protection of the state’s natural resources.

Texas and the TCEQ have not always been in compliance with federal environmental standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has caused some friction between the two organizations. The TCEQ has also received complaints from other environmental groups in Texas. In 2010 they faced a lawsuit from The Aransas Project (TAP), a nonprofit focused on water conservation. TAP accused TCEQ of poorly managing the Guadalupe River Basin leading to the deaths of some whooping cranes. The birds are protected by the Endangered Species Act. The TCEQ also faced criticism from the Sunset Advisory Commission in its evaluation of the organization.

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June 4, 2013

State Tells River Authority Water Plan Needs More Review

The extreme drought and 2011 releases to farmers lowered levels in Lakes Buchanan and Travis (pictured) in Central Texas. Now a state agency is saying more study is needed into how the reservoirs are managed.

In the ongoing battle over water in the Highland Lakes of Central Texas, the City of Austin and lake residents and businesses scored something of a victory this week when the state told the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) that its water management plan will need more review. The LCRA manages the water in the [...]

May 13, 2013

What’s Happening This Week at the Texas Legislature

Several bills pertaining to water, the environment and public policy will be discussed at the Texas Capitol this week.

In the gauntlet that is the Texas Legislature, the bills that have made it this far are looking at the final few obstacles in the way of becoming law. StateImpact Texas has compiled a short list of bills pertaining to water, the environment and energy that could be heard by House and Senate this week. [...]

May 8, 2013

How the West Fertilizer Explosion is Influencing Debate at the Legislature

Searchers in protective suits walk through the blast zone of the fertilizer plant that exploded.

Update: House Bill 1714 failed to come up for a vote in the Texas House by the end of the day Thursday, the deadline for bills to pass out of the House. This is first time the bill has not been approved by the house since 2003, when Rep. Wayne Smith first filed it. Previously the [...]

May 1, 2013

Hearing on West Fertilizer Explosion Shows Lack of Regulation and Coordination

Members of the West volunteer fire department carry the helmets of fallen firefighters during a procession of fire trucks and emergency vehicles. The procession was followed by a memorial service honoring the victims of the fertilizer plant explosion in West, TX. Thursday, April 25, 2013.

It became clear at today’s hearing is that there is no single agency tasked with safety inspections and coordinating with local governments on emergency response.

April 22, 2013

What to Watch For at the Texas Legislature This Week

State lawmakers will discuss whether to recognize the City of Garland at the cowboy hat capital of Texas this week.

Time is winding down at the State Legislature, but the pace is picking up. We’ve put together a list of some important bills on energy and the environment up for discussion this week. They tackle the Railroad Commission, fracking, drought and more. But they aren’t all serious, a House committee will discuss a slew of honorifics [...]

After West Fertilizer Explosion, Concerns Over Safety, Regulation and Zoning

A flag is flown at half staff in West, Texas, near the scene of the fertilizer plant that exploded Wednesday night in in the town of 2,8000 on Thursday, April 18, 2013.

The disaster brings up questions about regulation in the state and whether Texans should be living so close to industry.

April 16, 2013

Bill Would Stop Private Lawyers Who Help Counties Sue For Pollution

Signs warn that fish may be contaminated at Superfund site along San Jacinto River

Some county governments have found that when it comes to suing corporations over polluted property, hiring a private law firm on a contingency fee basis is the way to go. But against the backdrop of a multi-billion dollar dioxin case in Harris County, there’s an effort to outlaw those arrangements in pollution lawsuits. The House [...]

April 10, 2013

Texas County Tries to Stop Illegal Dumping of Oil Waste

In the booming Permian Basin of West Texas, Ector County is one of the leaders in oil production. But some of the crude is ending up on roads and highways, as haulers of drilling wastewater break the law to increase profits by dumping the slimy mixture from tanker trucks, sometimes as the trucks are moving. In [...]

April 9, 2013

Big Switch for Water Regulation in Texas Dominates Hearing at the Capitol

The water tower in Groesbeck, Texas, in December 2011.

Lawmakers had rocketed through more than a dozen bills before they arrived at Rep. Charlie Geren’s complex and controversial water bill, HB 1307. Then things slowed down at the House Natural Resources Committee meeting at the Capitol today. Other bills, including one that would expand the water supplies a waste disposal authority could tap and [...]

March 20, 2013

Coming Soon to the TCEQ: Greenhouse Gas Permits?

An oil refinery is pictured in Texas City, Texas. A new billed could help streamline the greenhouse gas permitting process.

Update: HB 788, which would put greenhouse gas permitting into the hands of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), passed out of the House this week. No amendments to the bill were added. Mike Heim, a Texas oil and gas executive, previously told the House Natural Resources Committee that moving the permitting process to [...]