Relating to the authority of the Railroad Commission of Texas and the Public Utility Commission of Texas to address a failure by an operator to maintain an electrical power line serving a well site or certain surface fac, the official text

H.B. No. 143

AN ACT

relating to the authority of the Railroad Commission of Texas and

the Public Utility Commission of Texas to address a failure by an

operator to maintain an electrical power line serving a well site or

certain surface facilities in accordance with the National

Electrical Code.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 91.019, Natural Resources Code, is

amended to read as follows:

Sec. 91.019. STANDARDS FOR CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION, AND

MAINTENANCE OF ELECTRICAL POWER LINES. (a) An operator shall

construct, operate, and maintain:

(1) an electrical power line serving a well site or

other surface facility employed in operations incident to oil and

gas development and production in accordance with the National

Electrical Code published by the National Fire Protection

Association and adopted by the Texas Commission of Licensing and

Regulation under Chapter 1305, Occupations Code; and

(2) electrical power line poles in a manner that

ensures the prevention and remediation of any readily observable

deficiencies, including damage, deterioration, leaning, or

cracking.

(b) If a landowner or lessee discovers a condition involving

an electrical power line, pole, or any other related electrical

equipment that does not meet the standards described by Subsection

(a), the landowner or lessee shall provide written notice of the

condition to the commission.

(c) If, during an inspection by the commission of a well

site or surface facility employed in operations incident to oil and

gas development and production or on the receipt of a written notice

submitted by a landowner or lessee, the commission discovers a

readily observable condition involving an electrical power line,

pole, or any other related electrical equipment that does not meet

the standards described by Subsection (a) and poses a risk of

causing a fire or injury to a person, the commission shall, not

later than three days after the discovery of the condition, notify

the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the operator. The

notification provided by the commission must include a description

of the condition and whether the well is abandoned.

(d) The commission shall notify the landowner of the

condition and inform the landowner of the actions the commission

and the Public Utility Commission of Texas will take or have taken

to resolve the condition not later than:

(1) the 10th day after the date the commission

discovers the condition; or

(2) the 30th day after the date the commission

discovers the condition, if the commission does not have the

landowner's contact information at the time of the discovery.

(e) Not later than the 10th day after the date on which the

commission discovers the condition, the commission and the Public

Utility Commission of Texas shall resolve the condition by:

(1) requesting that the state fire marshal or a local

government authority inspect the condition at the well site or

surface facility and requiring the operator to mitigate any

dangerous conditions identified by the state fire marshal or local

government authority;

(2) requesting that the electric cooperative,

electric utility, or municipally owned utility that provides

electric service to the well site or surface facility disconnect

electric service to the well site or surface facility at the common

coupling point at which the cooperative's or utility's equipment

meets customer-owned equipment; or

(3) taking any other action the commission and the

Public Utility Commission of Texas consider necessary and

appropriate to resolve the condition.

(f) If electric service was disconnected pursuant to a

request made under Subsection (e)(2), the electric cooperative,

electric utility, or municipally owned utility must restore

electric service to the well site or surface facility on receipt of

notice by the commission that the condition has been resolved.

(g) Members, employees, and agents of the commission may

enter public or private property only as necessary for purposes of

conducting an inspection under this section.

SECTION 2. Section 91.019, Natural Resources Code, as

amended by this Act, applies only to an inspection that occurs on or

after the effective date of this Act.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

______________________________
______________________________

President of the Senate
Speaker of the House

I certify that H.B. No. 143 was passed by the House on April

2, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 132, Nays 15, 1 present, not

voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.

No. 143 on May 28, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 124, Nays 12,

3 present, not voting.

______________________________

Chief Clerk of the House

I certify that H.B. No. 143 was passed by the Senate, with

amendments, on May 23, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays

0.

______________________________

Secretary of the Senate

APPROVED: __________________

Date

__________________

Governor