The Production Environmental Committee (PEC) also made legislative issues a priority when it met at TXOGA’s office in Austin on January 18.  Highlighting anticipated environmental issues, the Committee received an overview of the upcoming Legislative Session from TXOGA VP Ben Sebree.  Seventeen members and two TXOGA staffers were present to welcome Ray Moxley (ChevronTexaco) to his first meeting as Chair of this committee.

Highlighting anticipated environmental issues, the Committee received an overview of the upcoming Legislative Session from TXOGA VP Ben Sebree.  There was extended discussion of:

• Potential surface owner association legislation attempting to overturn the doctrine of reasonable use of surface;
• TXOGA’s legislative proposal from the Environmental Law Committee to require that a complainant alleging pollution of surface or subsurface water exhaust all remedies with the Railroad Commission of Texas before a court can consider remediation damages;
• Compliance history reform legislation (filed as HB 86); and
• Emissions event reporting reform legislation, with a draft proposal being approved by PEC to be sent out to all of TXOGA’s environmental committees for review, comment, and finalization under the coordination of TXOGA VP Cindy Morphew by early February.Special recognition was given to PEC’s Air Issues Workgroup, chaired by Peggy Waisanen (OXY Permian), for the work it has done in preparing this proposal.