Governor Greg Abbott on June 20 completed the task of reviewing all bills that were passed by the Texas Legislature. He had until midnight on June 21 to get the job done.
Of the 6,276 bills filed by the House and Senate during the Legislature’s 84th regular session that ended June 1, some 1,323 were passed by both bodies and therefore earned a trip to the governor’s office for final scrutiny. Of those bills, Abbott signed 1,202 into law, let 162 become law without his signature and vetoed 41.
Preliminary findings released
Questions about earthquakes in a zone where oil and gas exploration is widespread brought together state agency personnel, researchers and industry representatives in a June 5 meeting on a study titled, “Causal Factors for Seismicity Near Azle, Texas.”
Texas Railroad Commission, the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry, on June 18 released a summary based on information presented at the meeting.
Three of seven “key findings” by the researchers were these:
1. Hydraulic fracturing was not a cause of these earthquakes, and that this is a common misconception in the public and media that should be resolved.
2. The vast majority of disposal wells do not have associated seismicity, but disposal wells in close proximity to critically stressed faults could change pore pressure and reduce effective stress, resulting in seismicity if faults are oriented in a particular way.
3. The researchers stated that their work is ongoing and that better data could enhance their modeling and research.
Ed Sterling works for the Texas Press Association and follows the Legislature for the organization.
