Pipeline bill survives first hearing

A proposed bill aimed at requiring the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to implement contingency protocols for pipelines survived its first committee hearing Tuesday.

House Bill 3324, authored by Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood), is in direct response to the proposed 42-inch natural gas pipeline by Kinder Morgan, which will cut through a major portion of the Hill Country and Hays County. HB 3324 was taken up by the Texas House Committee on Natural Resources.

“At its core, HB 3224 is a public health bill,” Zwiener said. “Large transmission pipelines cross Texas, and as the industry acknowledges, it’s not a question of if they leak, it’s a question of when.”