Tex. Water Code § 27.051 (2026)

Sec. 27.051. ISSUANCE OF PERMIT. (a) The commission may grant an application in whole or part and may issue the permit if it finds:

(1) that the use or installation of the injection well is in the public interest;

(2) that no existing rights, including, but not limited to, mineral rights, will be impaired;

(3) that, with proper safeguards, both ground and surface fresh water can be adequately protected from pollution;

(4) that the applicant has made a satisfactory showing of financial responsibility if required by Section 27.073 of this code;

(5) that the applicant has provided for the proper operation of the proposed hazardous waste injection well;

(6) that the applicant for a hazardous waste injection well not located in an area of industrial land use has made a reasonable effort to ensure that the burden, if any, imposed by the proposed hazardous waste injection well on local law enforcement, emergency medical or fire-fighting personnel, or public roadways, will be reasonably minimized or mitigated; and

(7) that the applicant owns or has made a good faith claim to, or has the consent of the owner to utilize, or has an option to acquire, or has the authority to acquire through eminent domain, the property or portions of the property where the hazardous waste injection well will be constructed.

(b) The railroad commission may grant an application for a permit under Subchapter C in whole or part and may issue the permit if it finds:

(1) that the use or installation of the injection well is in the public interest;

(2) that the use or installation of the injection well will not endanger or injure any oil, gas, or other mineral formation;

(3) that, with proper safeguards, both ground and surface fresh water can be adequately protected from pollution; and

(4) that the applicant has made a satisfactory showing of financial responsibility if required by Section 27.073.

(b-1) The railroad commission may issue a permit under Subchapter C-1 if it finds:

(1) that the injection and geologic storage of anthropogenic carbon dioxide will not endanger or injure any oil, gas, or other mineral formation;

(2) that, with proper safeguards, both ground and surface fresh water can be adequately protected from carbon dioxide migration or displaced formation fluids;

(3) that the injection of anthropogenic carbon dioxide will not endanger or injure human health and safety;

(4) that the reservoir into which the anthropogenic carbon dioxide is injected is suitable for or capable of being made suitable for protecting against the escape or migration of anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the reservoir; and

(5) that the applicant for the permit meets all of the other statutory and regulatory requirements for the issuance of the permit.

(c) In the permit, the commission or railroad commission shall impose terms and conditions reasonably necessary to protect fresh water from pollution, including the necessary casing.

(d) The commission, in determining if the use or installation of an injection well is in the public interest under Subsection (a)(1), shall consider, but shall not be limited to the consideration of:

(1) compliance history of the applicant and related entities under the method for using compliance history developed by the commission under Section 5.754 and in accordance with the provisions of Subsection (e);

(2) whether there is a practical, economic, and feasible alternative to an injection well reasonably available; and

(3) if the injection well will be used for the disposal of hazardous waste, whether the applicant will maintain sufficient public liability insurance for bodily injury and property damage to third parties that is caused by sudden and non-sudden accidents or will otherwise demonstrate financial responsibility in a manner adopted by the commission in lieu of public liability insurance. A liability insurance policy which satisfies the policy limits required by the hazardous waste management regulations of the commission for the applicant's proposed pre-injection facilities shall be deemed "sufficient" under this subdivision if the policy:

(A) covers the injection well; and

(B) is issued by a company that is authorized to do business and to write that kind of insurance in this state and is solvent and not currently under supervision or in conservatorship or receivership in this state or any other state.

Text of subsec. (e) as amended by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 347, Sec. 2

(e) The commission shall establish a procedure for the preparation of comprehensive summaries of the applicant's compliance history, including the compliance history of any corporation or business entity managed, owned, or otherwise closely related to the applicant. The summaries shall be made available to the applicant and any interested person after the commission has completed its technical review of the permit application and prior to the promulgation of the public notice relating to the issuance of the permit. Evidence of compliance or noncompliance by an applicant for an injection well permit with environmental statutes and the rules adopted or orders or permits issued by the commission may be offered by any party at a hearing on the applicant's application and admitted into evidence subject to applicable rules of evidence. Evidence of the compliance history of an applicant for an injection well permit may be offered by the executive director at a hearing on the application and admitted into evidence subject to the rules of evidence. All evidence admitted, including compliance history, shall be considered by the commission in determining whether to issue, amend, extend or renew a permit. If the commission concludes that the applicant's compliance history is unacceptable, the commission shall deny the permit.

Text of subsec. (e) as amended by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 965, Sec. 16.08

(e) Consistent with Sections 5.753 and 5.754 and rules adopted and procedures developed under those sections, the commission shall establish a procedure for preparing summaries of the applicant's compliance history. The summaries shall be made available to the applicant and any interested person after the commission has completed its technical review of the permit application and prior to the promulgation of the public notice relating to the issuance of the permit. Evidence of compliance or noncompliance by an applicant for an injection well for the disposal of hazardous waste with the rules adopted or orders or permits issued by the commission under this chapter may be offered by any party at a hearing on the applicant's application and admitted into evidence subject to applicable rules of evidence. In accordance with this subsection and Sections 5.753 and 5.754 and rules adopted and procedures developed under those sections, evidence of the compliance history of an applicant for an injection well may be offered at a hearing on the application and may be admitted into evidence, subject to the rules of evidence. All evidence admitted, including compliance history, shall be considered by the commission in determining whether to issue, amend, extend or renew a permit.

Text of subsec. (e) as amended by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1161, Sec. 4

(e) The commission shall establish a procedure by rule for its preparation of compliance summaries relating to the history of compliance and noncompliance by the applicant with the rules adopted or orders or permits issued by the commission under this chapter for any injection well for which a permit has been issued under this chapter. A compliance summary must include as evidence of compliance information regarding the applicant's implementation of an environmental management system at the facility for which an authorization is sought. The compliance summaries shall be made available to the applicant and any interested person after the commission has completed its technical review of the permit application and prior to the promulgation of the public notice relating to the issuance of the permit. Evidence of compliance or noncompliance by an applicant for an injection well for the disposal of hazardous waste with the rules adopted or orders or permits issued by the commission under this chapter may be offered by any party at a hearing on the applicant's application and admitted into evidence subject to applicable rules of evidence. All evidence admitted, including compliance history, shall be considered by the commission in determining whether to issue, amend, extend or renew a permit. In this subsection, "environmental management system" has the meaning assigned by Section 5.127.

(f) In the issuance of a permit for a hazardous waste injection well into a salt dome, the commission shall consider the location of any geologic fault in the salt dome in the immediate proximity of the injection well bore, the presence of an underground water aquifer, and the presence of sulfur mines or oil and gas wells in the area.

(g)(1) The commission may not issue a permit for a hazardous waste injection well in a solution-mined salt dome cavern unless the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the commission determine that sufficient rules are in place to regulate that activity.

(2) Before issuing a permit for a hazardous waste injection well in a solution-mined salt dome cavern, the commission by order must find that there is an urgent public necessity for the hazardous waste injection well. The commission, in determining whether an urgent public necessity exists for the permitting of the hazardous waste injection well in a solution-mined salt dome cavern, must find that:

(A) the injection well will be designed, constructed, and operated in a manner that provides at least the same degree of safety as required of other currently operating hazardous waste disposal technologies;

(B) consistent with the need and desire to manage within the state hazardous wastes generated in the state, there is a substantial or obvious public need for additional hazardous waste disposal capacity and the hazardous waste injection well will contribute additional capacity toward servicing that need;

(C) the injection well will be constructed and operated in a manner so as to safeguard public health and welfare and protect physical property and the environment;

(D) the applicant has demonstrated that groundwater and surface waters, including public water supplies, will be protected from the release of hazardous waste from the salt-dome waste containment cavern; and

(E) any other criteria required by the commission to satisfy that the test of urgency has been met.

(h) In determining whether the use or installation of an injection well is in the public interest under Subsection (a)(1), the commission shall consider the compliance history of the applicant in accordance with Subsection (e) and Sections 5.753 and 5.754 and rules adopted and procedures developed under those sections.

(i) For purposes of this subsection, "Edwards Aquifer" has the meaning assigned by Section 26.046(a). Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, the commission may not authorize by rule or permit an injection well that transects or terminates in the Edwards Aquifer. The commission by rule or permit may authorize:

(1) injection of groundwater withdrawn from the Edwards Aquifer;

(2) injections of storm water, flood water, or groundwater through improved sinkholes or caves located in karst topographic areas;

(3) injections of water made in accordance with Section 1.44(e)(3), Chapter 626, Acts of the 73rd Legislature, Regular Session, 1993; or

(4) the injection of water into a geologic formation that underlies the Edwards Aquifer for an aquifer storage and recovery project that includes an ASR injection well, as defined under Section 27.151, that transects the Edwards Aquifer in:

(A) the area of Williamson County east of Interstate Highway 35; or

(B) Medina County.

Amended by Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2207, ch. 870, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977; Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 3161, ch. 830, Sec. 1, eff. June 17, 1981; Acts 1983, 68th Leg., p. 5265, ch. 967, Sec. 14, eff. Sept. 1, 1983; Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 566, Sec. 16, eff. Sept. 1, 1985; Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 638, Sec. 5, eff. Sept. 1, 1987; Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 977, Sec. 33, eff. June 19, 1987; Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 1234, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 28, 1989; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 296, Sec. 1.23, eff. June 7, 1991; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 347, Sec. 2, eff. May 26, 2001; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 965, Sec. 16.08, eff. Sept. 1, 2001; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 966, Sec. 11.03(a), eff. Sept. 1, 2001; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1161, Sec. 4, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.

Amended by:

Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 224 (S.B. 1387), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2009.

Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 91 (S.B. 1303), Sec. 27.001(66), eff. September 1, 2011.

Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1021 (H.B. 2694), Sec. 4.21, eff. September 1, 2011.

Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 585 (S.B. 520), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2019.

Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 140 (S.B. 616), Sec. 1, eff. May 24, 2025.