Monitoring the Session

SB 1145

permits for spreading oil and gas water on land

Became law, effective Sep 1, 2025

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Sen. Brian BirdwellRSenate 22

Initial review · graded Oct 22, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to the authority of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to issue permits for the land application of water produced from certain mining and oil and gas extraction operations.

Caption from analyzed text · version H.

Summary

Treated first, with standards protecting surface and underground water.

The bill lets the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issue permits to spread treated water from oil, gas and mining operations onto land for reuse. It touches oil, gas and mining operators, the businesses that treat their produced water, and the landowners and neighbors where that water would be applied. The agency must write standards for this land application, including standards that protect surface and underground water, and the rules apply to permit applications filed on or after September 1, 2025.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB1145 · 2025-02-06

SOLD BY

Sen. Brian BirdwellRSenate 22 Sen. Kevin SparksRSenate 31

+ 2 coauthors

ITEM

relating to the authority of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to issue permits for the land application of water produced from certain mining and oil and gas extraction operations.

WHAT IT DOES

Treated first, with standards protecting surface and underground water.

The bill lets the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issue permits to spread treated water from oil, gas and mining operations onto land for reuse. It touches oil, gas and mining operators, the businesses that treat their produced water, and the landowners and neighbors where that water would be applied. The agency must write standards for this land application, including standards that protect surface and underground water, and the rules apply to permit applications filed on or after September 1, 2025.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

Net to General Revenue · FY 2026$0

LBB estimate, flow · fiscal note version I · ( ) = negative · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · March 5, 2025

Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB1145, As Introduced: an impact of $0 through the biennium ending August 31, 2027. The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.

First year · FY 2026 · $0

Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

  1. Received by the Secretary of the Senate
  2. Filed
  3. Read first time
  4. Referred to Natural Resources
  5. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  6. Considered in public hearing
  7. Testimony taken in committee
  8. Vote taken in committee
  9. Reported favorably w/o amendments
  10. Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
  11. Committee report printed and distributed
  12. Placed on intent calendar
  13. Co-author authorized
  14. Rules suspended-Constitutional 60-Day
  15. Rules suspended-Regular order of business
  16. Read 2nd time & passed to engrossment
  17. Vote recorded in Journal
  18. Three day rule suspended
  19. Record vote
  20. Read 3rd time
  21. Passed
  22. Record vote
  23. Reported engrossed
  24. Received from the Senate
  25. Read first time
  26. Referred to Energy Resources
  27. Considered in formal meeting
  28. Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
  29. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  30. Committee report distributed
  31. Laid out in lieu of companion HB 2584
  32. Read 2nd time
  33. Passed to 3rd reading
  34. Record vote RV#666
  35. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  36. Read 3rd time
  37. Passed
  38. Record vote RV#794
  39. House passage reported
  40. Committee report sent to Calendars
  41. Reported enrolled
  42. Signed in the Senate
  43. Signed in the House
  44. Sent to the Governor
  45. Signed by the Governor
  46. Effective on 9/1/25
FILED UNDER

DATA CENTERS, WATER AND THE GRID

THE TEXT

“The commission may issue permits for the land application of produced water resulting from activities described by Subsection (a) that has been treated for beneficial use.”

Bill text, House committee report version (H)

The bill opens a permit path for treated oilfield and mining wastewater to be put on Texas land, which shapes how this water is used and where it goes.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 137 yea · 9 nay

Senate · 31 yea · 0 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · Apr 29, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate: Final passage · Mar 12, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

All floor motions and other positions below.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Brian Birdwell

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC Austin TX$30,000
Good Government Fund Fort Worth TX$10,000
Texas Oil & Gas Assn. Good Govt. Cmte Austin TX$10,000

Derived from itemized gifts, Jul 1, 2024 to Jun 30, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

$353,800 raised since Jul 1, 2024. Derived sum of published report totals. blank in the state's data, consistent with zero. Flow, Jul 1, 2024 through Jun 30, 2026. State filing data as of Nov 4, 2026. 4 of 4 filed reports carry a published figure.

$502,039 spent since Jul 1, 2024. Derived sum of published report totals. Flow, Jul 1, 2024 through Jun 30, 2026. State filing data as of Nov 4, 2026. 4 of 4 filed reports carry a published figure.

$731,044 cash on hand. Published report total. Stock, as of Jun 30, 2026. State filing data as of Nov 4, 2026.

$0 loans outstanding. Published report total. Stock, as of Jun 30, 2026. State filing data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived sum of itemized contributions in regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Unitemized contributions are not included. Flow, Jul 1, 2024 through Jun 30, 2026. State filing data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

Votes5

House Apr 29, 2025

Yea
137
Nay
9
Present, not voting
2
Absent
1
Excused
1
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 794

SB 1145 was passed by (Record 794): 137 Yeas, 9 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 137 (published)
  • Nay: 9 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 1 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

House Apr 28, 2025

Yea
136
Nay
9
Present, not voting
1
Absent
3
Excused
1
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 666

SB 1145 was passed to third reading by (Record 666): 136 Yeas, 9 Nays, 1 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 136 (published)
  • Nay: 9 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 1 (published)
  • Absent: 3 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Mar 12, 2025

Yea
31
Nay
0
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Sources

Senator Birdwell moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 1145 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 31 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Mar 12, 2025

Yea
31
Nay
0
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Sources

Senator Birdwell moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 1145 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 31 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Mar 12, 2025

Yea
Not printed
Nay
Not printed
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Voice vote. No numeric tally or individual yeas are inferred.

Sources

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: Not printed
  • Nay: Not printed
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Witnesses25
For
22
Against
0
On
3
Names

For

  • Bp1 registration
  • Chevron1 registration
  • ConocoPhillips1 registration
  • Devon Energy1 registration
  • ExxonMobil1 registration
  • Fasken Oil and Ranch1 registration
  • Halliburton1 registration
  • Lone Star Chapter Sierra club1 registration
  • NGL Energy Partners1 registration
  • Panhandle Producers & Royalty Owners Assoc1 registration
  • Permian Basin Petroleum Association1 registration
  • Pilot water Solutions1 registration
  • Self; Apache Corporation1 registration
  • Self; Deep Blue1 registration
  • Texas 20361 registration
  • Texas Alliance of Energy Producers1 registration
  • Texas Association of Business1 registration
  • Texas Independent Produced Water Association1 registration
  • Texas Oil and Gas Association1 registration
  • TIPRO1 registration
  • WaterBridge1 registration
  • Western Midstream1 registration

On

  • Railroad Commission of Texas1 registration
  • Texas Commission on Environmental Quality2 registrations
Sources

25 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

Senate witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal
Net to General Revenue · FY 2026$0

LBB estimate, flow · fiscal note version I · ( ) = negative · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · March 5, 2025

Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB1145, As Introduced: an impact of $0 through the biennium ending August 31, 2027. The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.

First year · FY 2026 · $0

Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version H by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 22, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Feb 6, 2025

05/13/2025 E Effective on 9/1/25

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · Senate Committee Report · Engrossed · House Committee Report · Enrolled

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Coauthors
César BlancoDSenate 29 Sarah EckhardtDSenate 14
Sponsors
Brooks LandgrafRHouse 81 Drew DarbyRHouse 72

House committee · Energy Resources · Committee vote 10 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee

Senate committee · Natural Resources · Committee vote 8 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee

Companion

HB 2584 by Landgraf (identical)

Subjects

Environment--Water

Mines & Mineral Resources

Oil & Gas

PERMITS

ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, TEXAS COMMISSION ON

RAILROAD COMMISSION

Text

The text as introduced · 448 words

89R12141 CMO-D

By: Birdwell, Sparks
S.B. No. 1145

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the authority of the Texas Commission on Environmental

Quality to issue permits for the land application of water produced

from certain mining and oil and gas extraction operations.

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

SECTION 1. Section 26.131, Water Code, as effective until

delegation of authority under the Resource Conservation and

Recovery Act of 1976 (42 U.S.C. Section 6901 et seq.) to the

Railroad Commission of Texas, is amended by amending Subsection (b)

and adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:

(b) Except as provided by Subsections [ Subsection ] (d) and

(e) , the Railroad Commission of Texas may issue permits for the

discharge of waste resulting from the activities described by

Subsection (a), and the discharge of waste into water in this state

resulting from those activities must meet the water quality

standards established by the commission.

(e) The commission may issue permits for the land

application of produced water resulting from activities described

by Subsection (a) that has been treated for beneficial use. The

commission shall adopt standards for the land application of water

under this section, including standards that prevent the pollution

of surface and subsurface water.

SECTION 2. Section 26.131, Water Code, as effective on

delegation of authority under the Resource Conservation and

Recovery Act of 1976 (42 U.S.C. Section 6901 et seq.) to the

Railroad Commission of Texas, is amended by amending Subsection (b)

and adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:

(b) Except as provided by Subsections [ Subsection ] (c) and

(d) , the Railroad Commission of Texas may issue permits for the

discharge of waste resulting from the activities described by

Subsection (a), and the discharge of waste into water in this state

resulting from those activities must meet the water quality

standards established by the commission.

(d) The commission may issue permits for the land

application of produced water resulting from activities described

by Subsection (a) that has been treated for beneficial use. The

commission shall adopt standards for the land application of water

under this section, including standards that prevent the pollution

of surface and subsurface water.

SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies only

to a permit, the application for which is filed on or after the

effective date of this Act. A permit, the application for which is

filed before the effective date of this Act, is subject to the law

in effect on the date the application is filed, and that law is

continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.