Hearing today on Zwiener pipeline bill

State Rep. Erin Zwiener filed a number of bills related to natural gas pipeline construction and safety, and one of them is about to get a hearing in the House Energy Resources Committee.

House Bill 3324 would amend the state Water Code by requiring contingency planning for pipelines. Pipeline operators would have to submit site-specific contingency plans that describe “measures to be taken to control, contain and collect any discharge of fluids from the pipeline to minimize impacts to groundwater in this state.” Such plans can be rejected if found to be insufficient. The bill is scheduled for a public hearing today. 

Zwiener’s group of pipeline-related proposals are directly tied to the proposed Kinder Morgan Permian Highway Pipeline, which is slated to route natural gas through the Hill Country — including Hays County — and residents’ opposition to the pipeline route. House Bill 2277 is meant to help make transparent whether a proposed pipeline will damage the environment and to help direct mitigation plans. HB 3326 would allow a municipality to require a pipeline to be buried up to 12 feet, and HB 3327 would require common carriers that intend to use eminent domain to acquire real property for a pipeline to send a written notice of intent to local officials, including the county judge and groundwater conservation districts.

The time of the public hearing is 10:30 a.m. Typically, a committee may hear several bills during one session, meaning it’s still unknown what time Zwiener’s bill might come up for discussion.