SB 1762: bill renaming energy conservation wells to geothermal ones

Caption

relating to the authority of the Railroad Commission of Texas to designate certain persons as the operator of an orphaned oil or gas well.

Caption from analyzed text · version F.

Summary

Also not a battery energy storage resource, the bill says.

The bill renames the 'energy conservation well' category in the orphaned-well law to 'geothermal energy conservation well' and states that such a well is not a battery energy storage resource. It touches people who ask the Railroad Commission to name them as the operator of an abandoned well so they can reuse it for geothermal energy storage. On the ground, the existing path to take over an orphaned well stays the same, including the $250 fee, but the wording now says plainly that these wells are geothermal and are not batteries.

Labels

Labels: INSTANT LAW. Took effect immediately, on Jun 20, 2025. 833 of the 1,185 graded 89R laws took effect Sep 1, 2025 (derived from the bill histories, snapshot Oct 19, 2026).CROSS-PARTY HANDOFF. Lead author César Blanco (D) in the Senate. Lead sponsor Drew Darby (R) in the House. Party as the Legislative Reference Library lists it for the 89th Legislature.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB1762 · 2025-02-28

SOLD BY

Sen. César BlancoDSenate 29

ITEM

relating to the authority of the Railroad Commission of Texas to designate certain persons as the operator of an orphaned oil or gas well.

WHAT IT DOES

Also not a battery energy storage resource, the bill says.

The bill renames the 'energy conservation well' category in the orphaned-well law to 'geothermal energy conservation well' and states that such a well is not a battery energy storage resource. It touches people who ask the Railroad Commission to name them as the operator of an abandoned well so they can reuse it for geothermal energy storage. On the ground, the existing path to take over an orphaned well stays the same, including the $250 fee, but the wording now says plainly that these wells are geothermal and are not batteries.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version S · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version S · April 3, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

Feb 28, 2025Received by the Secretary of the Senate
Feb 28, 2025Filed
Mar 13, 2025Read first time
Mar 13, 2025Referred to Business & Commerce
Mar 25, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Mar 25, 2025Considered in public hearing
Mar 25, 2025Testimony taken in committee
Mar 25, 2025Left pending in committee
Apr 3, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 3, 2025Vote taken in committee
Apr 7, 2025Reported favorably as substituted
Apr 7, 2025Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
Apr 8, 2025Committee report printed and distributed
Apr 9, 2025Placed on intent calendar
Apr 10, 2025Not again placed on intent calendar
Apr 16, 2025Placed on local & uncontested calendar
Apr 16, 2025Laid before the Senate
Apr 16, 2025Read 2nd time & passed to engrossment
Apr 16, 2025Vote recorded in Journal
Apr 16, 2025Three day rule suspended
Apr 16, 2025Record vote
Apr 16, 2025Read 3rd time
Apr 16, 2025Passed
Apr 16, 2025Record vote
Apr 16, 2025Reported engrossed
Apr 17, 2025Received from the Senate
Apr 22, 2025Read first time
Apr 22, 2025Referred to State Affairs
May 7, 2025Considered in formal meeting
May 7, 2025Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
May 12, 2025Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
May 12, 2025Committee report distributed
May 12, 2025Committee report sent to Calendars
May 15, 2025Considered in Calendars
May 19, 2025Placed on General State Calendar
May 19, 2025Read 2nd time
May 19, 2025Postponed 5/20/25 9:00 AM
May 20, 2025Laid out as postponed business
May 20, 2025Passed to 3rd reading
May 20, 2025Record vote RV#3050
May 21, 2025Read 3rd time
May 21, 2025Passed
May 21, 2025Record vote RV#3118
May 21, 2025Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
May 21, 2025House passage reported
May 21, 2025Reported enrolled
May 22, 2025Signed in the Senate
May 22, 2025Signed in the House
May 22, 2025Sent to the Governor
Jun 20, 2025Signed by the Governor
Jun 20, 2025Effective immediately

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 140 yea · 0 nay

Senate · 31 yea · 0 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · May 21, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate: Final passage · Apr 16, 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

César Blanco

Donors

Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund$26K Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$25K Border Health PAC$25K

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

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

Derived itemized flow · Jul 10, 2024 to Jun 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund$25,750.00

Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund

$25,750.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $750.00
Total: $25,750.00

consulting $750.00

Also funds 5 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Nov 22, 2024 to Oct 12, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 25, 2024 to Dec 13, 2024. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100989095.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$25,000.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$25,000.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $25,000.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 3, 2024 to Jan 26, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100989095, 101009709, 101033590, 101060872.

Border Health PAC$25,000.00

Border Health PAC

$25,000.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $25,000.00

Also funds 17 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 28, 2024 to Aug 26, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Dec 14, 2024. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100989095.

Money

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

×

Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund

$25,750.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $750.00
Total: $25,750.00

consulting $750.00

Also funds 5 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Nov 22, 2024 to Oct 12, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 25, 2024 to Dec 13, 2024. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100989095.

×

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$25,000.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $25,000.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 3, 2024 to Jan 26, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100989095, 101009709, 101033590, 101060872.

×

Border Health PAC

$25,000.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $25,000.00

Also funds 17 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 28, 2024 to Aug 26, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Dec 14, 2024. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100989095.

Votes5

House May 21, 2025

Yea: 140
Nay: 0
Present, not voting: 2
Absent: 2
Excused: 6

Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 3118

SB 1762 was passed by (Record 3118): 140 Yeas, 0 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

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

Yea: 140 (published)
Nay: 0 (published)
Present, not voting: 2 (published)
Absent: 2 (derived from named list)
Excused: 6 (derived from named list)

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

House May 20, 2025

Yea: 144
Nay: 0
Present, not voting: 3
Absent: 2
Excused: 1

Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 3050

SB 1762 was passed to third reading by (Record 3050): 144 Yeas, 0 Nays, 3 Present, not voting.

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

Yea: 144 (published)
Nay: 0 (published)
Present, not voting: 3 (published)
Absent: 2 (derived from named list)
Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

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

Senate Apr 16, 2025

Final passage

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.

The journal row lists three votes in order: passage to engrossment, suspension of the three-day rule, and final passage. This entry records final passage. Repeated tallies belong to separate votes.

Sources

CSSB 1762 (Blanco) Relating to the authority of the Railroad Commission of Texas to designate certain persons as the operator of an orphaned oil or gas well. (viva voce vote) (31-0) (31-0)

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 Apr 16, 2025

Suspension of the three-day rule

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.

The journal row lists three votes in order: passage to engrossment, suspension of the three-day rule, and final passage. This entry records suspension of the three-day rule. Repeated tallies belong to separate votes.

Sources

CSSB 1762 (Blanco) Relating to the authority of the Railroad Commission of Texas to designate certain persons as the operator of an orphaned oil or gas well. (viva voce vote) (31-0) (31-0)

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 Apr 16, 2025

Passage to engrossment

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.

The journal row lists three votes in order: passage to engrossment, suspension of the three-day rule, and final passage. This entry records passage to engrossment. Repeated tallies belong to separate votes.

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

Sources

CSSB 1762 (Blanco) Relating to the authority of the Railroad Commission of Texas to designate certain persons as the operator of an orphaned oil or gas well. (viva voce vote) (31-0) (31-0)

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.

Witnesses9

For: 8
Against: 0
On: 1

Names

For

Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation1 registration
Lone Star Chapter Sierra Club1 registration
R Street Institute1 registration
Texas 20361 registration
Texas Association of Business1 registration
Texas Energy Buyers Association1 registration
Texas Geothermal Energy Alliance2 registrations

On

Railroad Commission of Texas1 registration

Sources

9 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

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version S · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version S · April 3, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

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

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Feb 28, 2025

06/20/2025 E Effective immediately

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.

Companion

HB 5568 by Darby (identical)

Subjects

Energy--Conservation

Energy--Geothermal (IP9BV)

Oil & Gas

RAILROAD COMMISSION

Text

The text as introduced · 339 words

2025S0091-1 02/10/25

By: Blanco
S.B. No. 1762

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to geothermal energy conservation wells.

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

SECTION 1. Section 89.047(a)(1-a), Natural Resources Code,

is amended to read as follows:

(1-a) " Geothermal energy [ Energy ] conservation well"

means a well used for the retention of energy that may be used to

provide dispatchable generation of electricity for the power grid.

A geothermal energy conservation well is an electric energy storage

facility but is not a battery energy storage resource.

SECTION 2. Section 89.047(f), Natural Resources Code, is

amended to read as follows:

(f) The commission shall designate the person as the

operator of the well if the person files with the commission:

(1) a factually supported claim based on a recognized

legal theory to a continuing possessory right in:

(A) the mineral estate accessed by the well, as

established by a current oil and gas lease, a recorded deed

conveying a fee interest in the mineral estate, or any other

documentation of an interest in the mineral estate;

(B) the geothermal energy and associated

resources estate accessed by the well, as established by a current

geothermal lease, a recorded deed conveying a fee interest in the

geothermal estate, or any other documentation of an interest in the

geothermal estate; or

(C) the geologic space accessed by the well for

the purpose of a geothermal [ an ] energy conservation well, as

established by a recorded deed conveying a fee interest in the space

accessed by the well or any other documentation of an interest in

that space;

(2) a completed certificate of compliance; and

(3) a nonrefundable fee in the amount of $250.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives

a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as

provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this

Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this

Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

Verdict: No flags

The receipt

SOLD BY

ITEM

WHAT IT DOES

CHARGES

TOTAL

HISTORY

SIGNED FOR BY

Donors

Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

Border Health PAC

Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

Border Health PAC

House May 21, 2025

House May 20, 2025

Senate Apr 16, 2025

Senate Apr 16, 2025

Senate Apr 16, 2025

For

On

Companion