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House passes HB 143 to let regulators act on unsafe power lines at oil and gas well sites
Summary
House Bill 143, which codifies an interagency memorandum of understanding allowing the Railroad Commission and the Public Utility Commission to address electric power lines serving certain well sites that do not meet the National Electric Code, passed the House to engrossment.
House Bill 143, sponsored by Representative King, passed the Texas House to engrossment after debate tying the bill to wildfire prevention. The bill would authorize the Railroad Commission of Texas and the Public Utility Commission to address failures by operators to maintain electric power lines serving well sites and related surface facilities in accordance with the National Electric Code.
Representative King said the bill responds to multiple large wildfires in the Panhandle region, including a 700,000‑acre event, and follows agency work to develop an interagency memorandum of understanding to limit fire risk by allowing power to be shut off at sites with identified electrical hazards. He said a high share of past fires he cited began in a small area where lines between utilities and wellheads created ‘‘no man’s land.’’
Supporters on the floor emphasized wildfire mitigation and said codifying the memorandum would give agencies clearer authority to act on electrical hazards near well sites. Representative Fairly and others endorsed the bill as a practical disaster‑mitigation step. Representative King moved passage and the House recorded a roll call that the transcript shows as 30 ayes and 16 nays; HB 143 passed to engrossment.
No technical statutory text or implementing rules were read on the floor beyond the sponsor’s explanation; transcript debate focused on the policy rationale linking electrical maintenance at well sites to wildfire risk.
