bill making the Railroad Commission update rainfall data

The text as introduced · 282 words

By: Zwiener
H.B. No. 5186

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to information relied on by the Railroad Commission of

Texas for purposes of rules involving rainfall estimates.

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

SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 81, Natural Resources

Code, is amended by adding Section 81.076 to read as follows:

Sec. 81.076. RULES REFERENCING RAINFALL INTENSITY,

DURATION, AND FREQUENCY. (a) This section applies only to a

commission rule the adoption of which involved an evaluation of

rainfall intensity, duration, or frequency.

(b) The commission shall update rules as necessary to

incorporate the latest available rainfall intensity, duration, and

frequency data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration or a comparable source at least once every five

years.

(c) The commission shall update rules as necessary to

incorporate the latest available rainfall intensity, duration, and

frequency data from each new volume of the Precipitation-Frequency

Atlas of the United States published by the National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration.

(d) During each rulemaking required by Subsection (b), the

commission shall consider:

(1) the value of costs avoided by the state as a result

of updating the rainfall intensity, frequency, and duration data;

(2) a description of the variance between the existing

and newly available rainfall intensity, frequency, and duration

data; and

(3) the accuracy of the newly available rainfall

intensity, frequency, and duration data in comparison to the

existing rainfall intensity, frequency, and duration data.

SECTION 2. Not later than January 1, 2026, the Railroad

Commission of Texas shall adopt the first updated rules required by

Section 81.076, Natural Resources Code, as added by this Act.

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