Bill Text: TX SB1157 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the flaring and venting of methane gas on land dedicated to the permanent university fund.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-07 - Filed [SB1157 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-SB1157-Introduced.html
| 89R4112 CXP-D | ||
| By: Eckhardt | S.B. No. 1157 | |
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| relating to the flaring and venting of methane gas on land dedicated | ||
| to the permanent university fund. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 66, Education Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 66.455 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 66.455. METHANE FLARING AND VENTING REDUCTION PLANS. | ||
| (a) The board of regents of The University of Texas System shall | ||
| adopt a formal policy goal to eliminate routine methane flaring and | ||
| venting on university lands by 2029. | ||
| (b) Under each lease issued, modified, or renewed under this | ||
| subchapter relating to oil or gas, the lessee shall submit to the | ||
| board of regents of The University of Texas System a plan to end | ||
| routine methane flaring and venting in accordance with the policy | ||
| goal adopted under Subsection (a). The plan must: | ||
| (1) include provisions that prohibit routine methane | ||
| flaring and venting; | ||
| (2) for all new and existing sources, require | ||
| operators to adhere to the United States Environmental Protection | ||
| Agency's new source performance standards for methane emissions; | ||
| and | ||
| (3) require the lessee to implement quarterly | ||
| inspections and maintenance for the detection of malfunctioning and | ||
| unlit flares using leak detection equipment, such as optical gas | ||
| imaging cameras, and for the repair of those flares. | ||
| (c) The board of regents of The University of Texas System | ||
| shall review and approve or reject each plan submitted under | ||
| Subsection (b) according to procedures adopted by the board. The | ||
| University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology shall assist the | ||
| board and lessees in matters relating to the plans. | ||
| (d) In adopting procedures to implement this section, the | ||
| board of regents of The University of Texas System may apply to new | ||
| facilities and existing facilities that have been modified after | ||
| initial construction more stringent standards than the standards | ||
| the board applies to other facilities. | ||
| SECTION 2. Section 86.185, Natural Resources Code, is | ||
| amended to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 86.185. PROHIBITION AGAINST GAS IN AIR. (a) No gas | ||
| from a gas well may be permitted to escape into the air after the | ||
| expiration of 10 days from the time the gas is encountered in the | ||
| gas well, or from the time of perforating the casing opposite a | ||
| gas-bearing zone if casing is set through the zone, whichever is | ||
| later, but the commission may permit the escape of gas into the air | ||
| for an additional time if the operator of a well or other facility | ||
| presents information to show the necessity for the escape; provided | ||
| that the amount of gas which is flared under that authority is | ||
| charged to the operator's allowable production. A necessity | ||
| includes but is not limited to the following situations: | ||
| (1) cleaning a well of sand or acid or both following | ||
| stimulation treatment of a well; and | ||
| (2) repairing or modifying a gas-gathering system. | ||
| (b) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), the commission may | ||
| permit methane flaring or venting from a well on university lands | ||
| described by Section 66.41, Education Code, if the board of regents | ||
| of The University of Texas System and the well operator jointly | ||
| submit to the commission an attestation that: | ||
| (1) the well: | ||
| (A) is connected to a pipeline on which pipeline | ||
| takeaway capacity is not expected to meet the demand for gas | ||
| produced from the well; or | ||
| (B) is not connected to a pipeline and connection | ||
| of the well to a pipeline is technically or commercially | ||
| unfeasible; and | ||
| (2) the well operator made a good faith effort to find | ||
| a productive purpose for the gas the operator is seeking to flare or | ||
| vent. | ||
| SECTION 3. Not later than June 1, 2026, the board of regents | ||
| of The University of Texas System shall adopt procedures | ||
| implementing Section 66.455, Education Code, as added by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 4. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this | ||
| section, this Act takes effect September 1, 2025. | ||
| (b) Section 86.185, Natural Resources Code, as amended by | ||
| this Act, takes effect January 1, 2027. | ||
