Title WA, Water Code

Sec. 5.602. RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE OF ESTUARIES OF TEXAS COAST. The state recognizes the state and national significance of estuaries on the Texas coast and that the cooperative efforts created by the National Estuary Program serve a public and state purpose. By vir…

Sec. 5.603. FINDING OF BENEFIT AND PUBLIC PURPOSE. The state recognizes the importance of implementing estuary management plans by protecting and improving water quality and restoring estuarine habitat that makes the bays and estuaries productive, protecting the economies of thos…

Sec. 5.604. LEAD STATE AGENCY. The commission is the lead state agency for the implementation of approved comprehensive conservation and management plans developed under the National Estuary Program. The commission may accept federal grants for purposes of this subchapter and may…

Sec. 5.605. STATE AGENCY PARTICIPATION. (a) The following state agencies shall participate and provide assistance to the estuary programs in implementing approved comprehensive conservation and management plans: (1) the General Land Office; (2) the Parks and Wildlife Department; …

Sec. 5.606. ESTUARY PROGRAM OFFICES. To accomplish the purposes of this subchapter, the estuary program office of any estuary of the state included in the National Estuary Program and for which the commission is the implementing agency shall be maintained in the region of the est…

Sec. 5.607. IMPLEMENTATION FUNDING. Funding for the implementation of approved comprehensive conservation and management plans is to be shared by the state, local governments in the area of the estuaries, the federal government, and other participants. Added by Acts 1999, 76th Le…

Sec. 5.608. ELIGIBILITY FOR STATE FUNDING. A comprehensive conservation and management plan is eligible for state funding to assist in implementation of the plan if: (1) the estuary involved has been designated jointly by the governor and the United States Environmental Protectio…

Sec. 5.609. ADMINISTRATION. The commission, as the lead state agency for administering the state's share of funds, and any state agency designated as an implementing agency for an approved comprehensive conservation and management plan may accept and make grants and enter into co…

Sec. 5.701. FEES. (a) The executive director shall charge and collect the fees prescribed by law. The executive director shall make a record of fees prescribed when due and shall render an account to the person charged with the fees. Each fee is a separate charge and is in additi…

Sec. 5.702. PAYMENT OF FEES REQUIRED WHEN DUE. (a) A fee due the commission under this code or the Health and Safety Code shall be paid on the date the fee is due, regardless of whether the fee is billed by the commission to the person required to pay the fee or is calculated and…

Sec. 5.703. FEE ADJUSTMENTS. (a) The commission may not consider adjusting the amount of a fee due the commission under this code or the Health and Safety Code: (1) before the fee has been paid in full; or (2) if the request for adjustment is received after the first anniversary …

Sec. 5.704. NOTICE OF CHANGE IN PAYMENT PROCEDURE. The commission shall promptly notify each person required to pay a commission fee under this code or the Health and Safety Code of any change in fee payment procedures. Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 965, Sec. 3.03, eff. Sept…

Sec. 5.705. NOTICE OF VIOLATION. (a) The commission may issue a notice of violation to a person required to pay a commission fee under this code or the Health and Safety Code for knowingly violating reporting requirements or knowingly calculating the fee in an amount less than th…

Sec. 5.706. PENALTIES AND INTEREST ON DELINQUENT FEES. (a) Except as otherwise provided by law, the commission may collect, for a delinquent fee due the commission under this code or the Health and Safety Code: (1) a penalty in an amount equal to five percent of the amount of the…

Sec. 5.707. TRANSFERABILITY OF APPROPRIATIONS AND FUNDS DERIVED FROM FEES. Notwithstanding any law that provides specific purposes for which a fund, account, or revenue source may be used and expended by the commission and that restricts the use of revenues and balances by the co…

Sec. 5.708. PERMIT FEE EXEMPTION FOR CERTAIN RESEARCH PROJECTS. (a) In this section: (1) "Institution of higher education" has the meaning assigned by Section 61.003, Education Code. (2) "State agency" has the meaning assigned by Section 572.002, Government Code. (b) If a permit …

Sec. 5.751. APPLICABILITY. This subchapter applies to programs under the jurisdiction of the commission under Chapters 26, 27, and 32 of this code and Chapters 361, 375, 382, and 401, Health and Safety Code. It does not apply to occupational licensing programs under the jurisdict…

Sec. 5.752. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: (1) "Applicable legal requirement" means an environmental law, regulation, permit, order, consent decree, or other requirement. (2) "Innovative program" means: (A) a program developed by the commission under this subchapter, Chapter 26…

Sec. 5.753. STANDARDS FOR EVALUATING AND USING COMPLIANCE HISTORY. (a) Consistent with other law and the requirements necessary to maintain federal program authorization, the commission by rule shall develop standards for evaluating and using compliance history that ensure consis…

Sec. 5.754. CLASSIFICATION AND USE OF COMPLIANCE HISTORY. (a) The commission by rule shall establish a set of standards for the classification of a person's compliance history as a means of evaluating compliance history. The commission may consider the person's classification whe…

Sec. 5.755. STRATEGICALLY DIRECTED REGULATORY STRUCTURE. (a) The commission by rule shall develop a strategically directed regulatory structure to provide incentives for enhanced environmental performance. (b) The strategically directed regulatory structure shall offer incentives…

Sec. 5.756. COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS OF COMPLIANCE PERFORMANCE INFORMATION. (a) The commission shall collect data on: (1) the results of inspections conducted by the commission; and (2) whether inspections are announced or unannounced. (b) The commission shall collect data on and …

Sec. 5.757. COORDINATION OF INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS. (a) The commission shall designate a single point of contact within the agency to coordinate all innovative programs. (b) The coordinator shall: (1) inventory, coordinate, and market and evaluate all innovative programs; (2) provid…

Sec. 5.758. REGULATORY FLEXIBILITY. (a) The commission by order may exempt an applicant from a requirement of a statute or commission rule regarding the control or abatement of pollution if the applicant proposes to control or abate pollution by an alternative method or by applyi…

Sec. 5.801. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "environmental testing laboratory" means a scientific laboratory that performs analyses to determine the chemical, molecular, or pathogenic components of environmental media for regulatory compliance purposes. Added by Acts 1999, 76th L…

Sec. 5.802. ADMINISTRATION BY COMMISSION. The commission shall adopt rules for the administration of the voluntary environmental testing laboratory accreditation program established by this chapter. The program must be consistent with national accreditation standards approved by …

Sec. 5.803. APPLICATION; FEE. (a) To be accredited under the accreditation program adopted under this subchapter, an environmental testing laboratory must submit an application to the commission on a form prescribed by the commission, accompanied by the accreditation fee. The app…

Sec. 5.804. ISSUANCE OF ACCREDITATION; RECIPROCITY. (a) The commission may accredit an environmental testing laboratory that complies with the commission requirements established under this subchapter. (b) The commission by rule may provide for the accreditation of an environment…

Sec. 5.805. RULES; MINIMUM STANDARDS. The commission shall adopt rules to implement this subchapter and minimum performance and quality assurance standards for accreditation of an environmental testing laboratory. Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 447, Sec. 1, eff. June 18, 1999…

Sec. 5.806. DISCIPLINE. After notice and an opportunity for hearing, the commission may suspend or revoke the accreditation of an environmental testing laboratory that does not comply with the minimum performance and quality assurance standards established under this subchapter. …

Sec. 5.807. ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING LABORATORY ACCREDITATION ACCOUNT. All fees collected under this subchapter shall be deposited to the credit of the environmental testing laboratory accreditation account and may be appropriated to the commission only for paying the costs of the a…