Bill > HB4981

This bill introduces a new scoring system for permit applications submitted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), requiring the agency to evaluate each application using a point-based method that considers both community participation and existing legal criteria. Under this system, the TCEQ will assess permit applications by awarding points based on local community input, including resolutions from political subdivisions, statements from neighborhood organizations, and input from state senators and representatives representing the area where the proposed facility or activity would be located. The scoring will be weighted 55% for community participation and 45% for other required legal criteria, with a minimum passing score of 75% of total available points. The commission will assign positive points for supportive statements, negative points for opposing statements, and zero points for neutral statements, and will be required to publish the details of this scoring system on its website. This new evaluation method will apply only to permit applications submitted on or after September 1, 2025, with the goal of increasing transparency and local community involvement in environmental permitting decisions.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=HB4981