As the Texas House begins interim work ahead of the 90th Legislative Session, the House Committee on Natural Resources has been tasked with studying several important issues that impact Texans every single day. This committee has jurisdiction over the conservation and development of water resources across our state. The 11-member committee also regulates all local water-related entities, such as groundwater conservation districts, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), and the Texas Water Development Board.
The House Committee on Natural Resources has been charged with monitoring the implementation of HJR 7 and SB 7. HJR 7 is the most significant funding source for water supply and infrastructure in Texas history. The bill created a constitutionally dedicated revenue stream for the Texas Water Fund and was approved by voters last November. This revenue stream sets aside $1 billion a year of state sales and use tax revenue for 20 years, until 2047.
SB 7 accompanied HJR 7 and also created the Texas Water Fund Advisory Committee to oversee the Texas Water Fund structure, protects freshwater aquifers and preserves local control over surface water rights, and expands eligibility for shovel-ready reservoirs to be funded by the New Water Supply for Texas Fund.
Additionally, this fund prioritizes rural wastewater treatment projects for assistance from the Texas Water Fund and adds projects under the Flood Infrastructure Fund as eligible for funding from the Texas Water Fund structure. These two funds are extremely important to East and Southeast Texas communities.
Additionally, the Committee is charged with studying a number of important issues to be addressed during the 90th Legislative Session in 2027.
First, the Committee will study groundwater regulation and make recommendations to
ensure groundwater management is adequately focused on protecting the long-term viability
of the state’s aquifers. As readers know, this is a major issue for our region heading into the next session.
Specifically, the committee will examine if current regulatory and planning practices provide sufficient protection of groundwater resources, the adequacy of groundwater conservation districts’ authority to address impacts from large-scale groundwater production projects, the need for increased investment in groundwater data and modeling tools to support advanced planning, decision-making, and management, and how groundwater production in unregulated portions of the state impacts the aquifer management efforts of existing groundwater conservation districts.
The Committee will also study data center water use and examine the total water usage of data center operations in Texas, including direct and indirect uses. Specifically, the Committee will evaluate regulatory, permitting, and infrastructure considerations for water-efficient data center development, particularly in water-stressed regions, and consider policy options to optimize water resources and enhance water stewardship in the data center sector. My previous column highlighted our recent hearing on this topic.
Finally, the Committee will study the state and regional water planning process, the data used to
project long-term water needs and available water supplies, the efficacy of the criteria used to adopt water supply projects and management strategies, and progress made to address projected water supply deficits.
The mobile office is on the road again in August, and our District Director looks forward to seeing you on the following dates, in the following locations: August 5 at the San Augustine County Courthouse from 9:30-11:30 am, August 15 at the Polk County Commissioner’s Court Room in Livingston from 9:30-11:30 am, or at the Tyler County Courthouse in Woodville from 1:30-3:30 pm; August 19 at the Houston County Courthouse Annex in Crockett from 9:30-11:30 am, or at the Trinity County Courthouse in Groveton from 1:30-3:30 pm.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office if we can help you in any way. My district office may be reached at (936) 634-2762, and my Capitol office at (512) 463-0508. Additionally, I welcome you to follow along on my Official Facebook Page, where I will post regular updates on what’s happening at your State Capitol and share information that could be useful to you and your family: https://www.facebook.com/RepTrentAshby/.
