S.B. No. 1145 amends the Texas Water Code to enhance the authority of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) regarding the issuance of permits for the land application of produced water from certain mining and oil and gas extraction operations. The bill introduces new provisions that allow the TCEQ to issue permits for the land application of treated produced water, which must meet specific standards to prevent pollution of surface and subsurface water. This is a significant change from the previous law, which primarily focused on the discharge of waste into water bodies.

The bill also clarifies that the TCEQ's authority to issue these permits is contingent upon the delegation of authority under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 to the Railroad Commission of Texas. The changes in law will only apply to permit applications filed on or after the effective date of the Act, which is set for September 1, 2025. Existing applications filed before this date will continue to be governed by the law in effect at the time of their filing.