Governor Abbott Vetoes HB 2377 (85R)
Pursuant to Article IV, Section 14, of the Texas Constitution, I, Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas, do hereby disapprove of and veto House Bill No. 2377 as passed by the Eighty-Fifth Texas Legislature, Regular Session, because of the following objections:
House Bill 2377 sought to authorize groundwater conservation districts to implement special permitting rules relating to the completion and operation of wells for the withdrawal of brackish groundwater. The bill’s permitting rules are unduly prescriptive and would create a separate and complex bureaucratic process for the permitting of brackish wells. The Texas Water Development Board already has significant authority in this area, including the ability to designate brackish groundwater production zones and to approve local water management plans. While the development of brackish water resources as a potential means of meeting our state’s future water needs is important, House Bill 2377 went about it the wrong way. The next Legislature should consider a simpler and less bureaucratic way to provide greater access to brackish water.
Since the Eighty-Fifth Texas Legislature, Regular Session, by its adjournment has prevented the return of this bill, I am filing these objections in the office of the Secretary of State and giving notice thereof by this public proclamation according to the aforementioned constitutional provision.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have signed my name officially and caused the Seal of the State to be affixed hereto at Austin, this 15th day of June, 2017.
GREG ABBOTT
Governor