Rep. Drew Darby introduced HB 49, a bill on Environment and Water, to the Texas House on Friday, March 14 during the 89(R) legislative session, according to the Texas Legislature website.
More specifically, the official text was summarized by the state legislature as ’’relating to the treatment and beneficial use of fluid oil and gas waste and related material, including a limitation on liability for that treatment or use’’.
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
This bill amends the Natural Resources Code to address fluid oil and gas waste, including the ownership, responsibility, and use of treated products derived from this waste. It defines a “treated product” as the result of a process that refines or alters fluid oil and gas waste for beneficial use. The bill specifies that ownership of the treated product or byproduct is retained by the possessor until transferred, and it limits liability for parties involved in producing or using the treated product, except in cases of gross negligence or regulatory noncompliance. The commission is required to establish rules for treating and utilizing these materials. The bill’s provisions apply to causes of action accruing on or after Sept. 1, 2025.
Drew Darby, the chair of the House Committee on Energy Resources, proposed another 62 bills during the 89(R) legislative session. He is also a member of the House Committee on House Administration and a member of the House Committee on State Affairs.
Drew Darby is currently serving in the Texas State House, representing the state’s 72nd House district. He replaced previous state representative Scott Edward Campbell in 2007.
Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.
You can read more about the bills and other measures here.
| Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| HB 5620 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to a criminal associate judge in Coke, Concho, Irion, Runnels, Schleicher, Sterling, and Tom Green counties |
| HB 5578 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to notice of a public hearing at which the board of directors of an appraisal district will consider the appraisal district budget |
| HB 5576 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to certain best management practices and to certain requirements for the design, construction, and operation of certain wind and solar power facilities in this state |
| HB 5568 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to geothermal energy conservation wells |
| HB 5523 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the procedure for the adoption by the board of regents of The University of Texas System of a rate and damage schedule for the management of university land |
| HB 5518 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the procedure for action on certain applications for an amendment to a water right |
| HB 5517 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to sexually explicit artificially generated images and videos |
| HB 48 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the creation of an organized oilfield theft prevention unit within the Department of Public Safety |
| HB 5123 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to financial assurance requirements for operators under the jurisdiction of the Railroad Commission of Texas |
| HB 5111 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to the regulation of campaign treasurer appointments and related matters and the content of and posting of information contained in a campaign treasurer appointment; providing a civil penalty |
| HB 5109 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to certain regulations adopted by governmental entities for the construction or alteration of residential or commercial buildings |
| HB 4536 | 03/12/2025 | Relating to notice submitted to state and local contractors of complaints alleging a violation of certain prevailing wage laws |
| HB 4427 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to the recovery of certain expenses by an electric utility or a water and sewer utility in a rate proceeding |
| HB 4426 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to permits issued by the Railroad Commission of Texas for commercial surface disposal facilities |
| HB 4384 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to the recovery of certain costs associated with a gas utility’s plant, facilities, or equipment placed in service |
| HB 4382 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to an exemption from sales and use taxes for certain tangible personal property used in hydraulic fracturing |
| HB 4290 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to a qualifying cogenerator that serves a large load and a colocated desalination facility |
| HB 4136 | 03/10/2025 | Relating to the availability of certain personal information of a member of the governing board of an institution of higher education, the chief executive officer of the institution, or the chief executive officer of a university system |
| HB 4124 | 03/07/2025 | Relating to the charging of swipe fees on certain electronic payment transactions; authorizing a civil penalty |
| HB 4011 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to the partition or voluntary sale of real property owned by certain cotenants; amending the Uniform Partition of Heirs’ Property Act |
| HB 3970 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to the interconnection and operation of large loads |
| HB 3911 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to the plugging or replugging of certain inactive wells subject to the jurisdiction of the Railroad Commission of Texas |
| HB 3901 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to an exemption of the transfer of certain rights in water from certain disclosure requirements applicable to the transfer of certain interests in real property |
| HB 3809 | 03/05/2025 | Relating to the removal of battery energy storage facilities |
| HB 3794 | 03/05/2025 | Relating to the licensing and regulation of advanced practice registered nurses and the payment of independent advanced practice registered nurses in certain government employee health plans |
| HB 3746 | 03/04/2025 | Relating to the exemption of certain gas and electricity from sales and use taxes |
| HB 3710 | 03/04/2025 | Relating to the effect of a tax certificate accompanying a transfer of certain property |
| HB 3503 | 02/27/2025 | Relating to the Social Work Licensure Compact; authorizing fees |
| HB 3448 | 02/26/2025 | Relating to the access by a certificated telecommunications provider to the rights-of-way and poles of an electric cooperative |
| HB 3445 | 02/26/2025 | Relating to the access by a certificated telecommunications provider to the rights-of-way and pole charges of an electric cooperative |
| HB 3265 | 02/25/2025 | Relating to discriminatory practices by a health benefit plan issuer, pharmacy benefit manager, and third-party payor and certain prescription drug manufacturers, distributors, and related persons with respect to certain entities participating in a federal drug discount program; providing a civil penalty |
| HB 3250 | 02/24/2025 | Relating to the regulation of real estate appraisers and appraisal management companies |
| HB 3249 | 02/24/2025 | Relating to rules providing for certification of issues to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in contested cases referred to the State Office of Administrative Hearings by the commission |
| HB 3190 | 02/21/2025 | Relating to school personnel and public school operations, including the eligibility of certain employees for unemployment compensation benefits |
| HB 3159 | 02/21/2025 | Relating to a severance tax exemption for oil and gas produced from certain restimulation wells; providing a civil penalty |
| HB 3158 | 02/21/2025 | Relating to imposition of application fees for certain permits and permit amendments for the disposal of oil and gas waste |
| HB 3157 | 02/21/2025 | Relating to interim rates charged by electric utilities during a rate suspension period |
| HB 3156 | 02/21/2025 | Relating to fluid oil and gas waste and products and byproducts of that waste |
| HB 3126 | 02/20/2025 | Relating to the election of certain school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to participate in the uniform group coverage program for active school employees |
| HB 3100 | 02/20/2025 | Relating to a limit on the number of athletic scholarships that may be awarded to foreign students by a public institution of higher education |
| HB 3078 | 02/20/2025 | Relating to manufacturer fees for operation of a real-time electronic logging system to track over-the-counter sales of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or norpseudoephedrine; imposing a fee; authorizing an administrative penalty |
| HB 3069 | 02/20/2025 | Relating to the approval of a certificate of convenience and necessity for certain transmission projects |
| HB 3044 | 02/19/2025 | Relating to the periodic elimination of generic transmission constraints in the ERCOT power region |
| HB 3035 | 02/19/2025 | Relating to the creation of an organized oilfield theft prevention unit within the Department of Public Safety |
| HB 2790 | 02/13/2025 | Relating to liability for capturing and storing carbon dioxide |
| HB 2730 | 02/12/2025 | Relating to the authority of the chief appraiser of an appraisal district to require a person allowed an exemption from ad valorem taxation of a residence homestead to file a new application or confirm the person’s current qualification for the exemption |
| HB 2713 | 02/12/2025 | Relating to the repeal of a municipal civil service system for firefighters and police officers in certain municipalities |
| HB 2712 | 02/12/2025 | Relating to test years used for ratemaking purposes by certain water and sewer utilities |
| HB 2678 | 02/11/2025 | Relating to the establishment of the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Authority and a Texas nuclear permitting officer |
| HB 2663 | 02/11/2025 | Relating to the affirmation required to be made by an operator as part of an application to the Railroad Commission of Texas for an extension of the deadline for plugging an inactive well; providing an administrative penalty |
