Pipeline operators must report certain petroleum contamination quickly and include GPS coordinates; the commission must then have a commissioned person take a soil sample within 3 business days.
Sec. 81.056. CONTAMINATION REPORT. (a) In this section: (1) "Common carrier" has the meaning assigned by Section 111.002. (2) "Owner of the land" or "landowner" means the first person who is shown on the appraisal roll of the appraisal district established for the county in which a tract of land is located as owning an interest in the surface estate of the land at the time a contamination report is required to be made under this section. (b) If in the process of placing, repairing, replacing, or maintaining a pipeline a common carrier or an owner or operator of a pipeline observes or detects any petroleum-based contamination of soil or water in proximity to the pipeline, the common carrier or pipeline owner or operator shall report the contamination to the commission and the owner of the land on which the pipeline is located. Petroleum-based contamination of soil or water that is observed or detected is required to be reported under this subsection if: (1) hydrocarbons are present on the surface of the water; (2) at least five linear yards of soil have been affected by hydrocarbons; or (3) soil affected by hydrocarbons extends beyond the face of the excavation in which the contamination is observed or detected. (c) The contamination report: (1) must be made not later than 24 hours after the common carrier or pipeline owner or operator observes or detects the contamination; (2) must include the global positioning satellite coordinates of the location of the contamination; and (3) may be made by telephone, facsimile, or electronic mail. (d) Not later than the third business day after the date the commission receives the contamination report, a person authorized by the commission shall withdraw a soil sample from the contaminated land. The person is entitled to enter the land for the purpose of withdrawing the sample. (e) A common carrier or pipeline owner or operator that makes a contamination report under this section is released from all liability for the contamination or the cleanup of the contamination covered by the report, except for any contamination caused by the common carrier or pipeline owner or operator. (f) The commission shall adopt rules to implement this section. (g) The commission may use money in the oil-field cleanup fund to implement this section. The amount of money in the fund the commission may use for that purpose may not exceed the amount of money in the fund that is derived from fees collected under Section 91.142 from common carriers or owners or operators of pipelines as determined annually by the commission. Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 339 (S.B. 1130), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2005. Amended by: Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 166 (H.B. 472), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2009. Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 166 (H.B. 472), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2009.