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Council adopts 2025 legislative agenda with clarified desalination discharge language
Summary
Portland’s City Council adopted Resolution 9-28 setting the city’s 2025 legislative agenda, including a council-proposed clarification supporting offshore desalination discharge as the preferred method while requesting Texas Commission on Environmental Quality studies of cumulative impacts.
The Portland City Council on Feb. 18 adopted Resolution 9-28, approving the city’s 2025 legislative agenda with one clarified language change concerning desalination discharge and related state oversight.
Mayor Scarreau proposed revised language to clarify the council committee’s intent on desalination discharge, saying the revision would emphasize concerns about environmental sustainability and require that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality evaluate cumulative impacts and mandate far-field studies if discharge into bays and estuaries occurs. The mayor read the proposed replacement language into the record: “The city of [makes] the case for offshore discharges the preferred method of desalination discharge and supports legislation requiring the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to evaluate cumulative impacts and for stricter regulations and mandate far field studies if discharge into bays and estuaries occurs, ensuring the protection of marine ecosystems.”
A council member also called attention to federal rulemaking relevant to CO2 and hazardous-material pipelines and encouraged interested residents to submit public comments; council staff said the city plans to provide the adopted agenda to its legislative team in Austin and to attend upcoming advocacy events on March 19, including San Patricio County Day on the Hill and the Texas Municipal League activities.
Mayor Pro Tem Green moved adoption with the proposed wording change; Councilman Wilson seconded. The council approved the resolution 4-0.
The resolution will be distributed to the city’s legislative representatives and used to guide advocacy at the state level during the 2025 legislative session.
