The bill amends Section 27.031 of the Water Code to require that no person may use or drill a disposal well for oil and gas waste without first obtaining a permit from the Railroad Commission of Texas. Additionally, it mandates that permit holders provide daily reports to the commission detailing the amount of produced water injected and the surface injection pressure data from the disposal well.

Furthermore, the bill introduces new sections, 27.0311 and 27.038, which establish a fee structure for injection wells. A fee of one cent per barrel is imposed for oil and gas waste produced within the same district as the injection well, and ten cents per barrel for waste produced outside that district. The collected fees will be deposited into the newly created Injection and Abandoned Wells Cleanup Fund, which will be used to finance projects related to the reuse and treatment of produced water and the remediation of abandoned wells. The act is set to take effect on September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Water Code 27.031 (Water Code 27)