TCEQ adopts enforcement orders and reviews enforcement statistics; $376,928 in penalties assessed

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on Aug. 20 adopted enforcement orders for agenda items 6 through 19 and reviewed the agency's monthly enforcement report covering fiscal year 2025 through June.

Staff told the commission the total assessed administrative penalties across items 6–19 amount to $376,928, with $64,927 deferred and $312,001 payable to general revenue. The enforcement presenter said the staff respectfully requested approval of the items; the commission adopted the orders by motion.

During the monthly enforcement report presentation, staff reported 904 effective orders issued through June, of which 83 included supplemental environmental projects (SEPs). The orders assessed $11,424,039 in total with $7,232,360 payable; $2,536,529 was to be paid toward SEPs. The office reported 16,316 notices of violation issued, 1,498 enforcement referrals, 3,186 pending administrative orders, 1,391 backlog cases, and 132 cases pending at the attorney general's office for district court representation. Nine judgments have been issued and 1,495 cases are tracked for compliance.

Commissioners asked questions about past‑due penalty calculations and whether SEP participation could be streamlined with a checkbox in enforcement intake. Litigation and enforcement staff said they are reviewing mechanisms to simplify SEP enrollment and that 156 SEP applications have already been reviewed and approved and are awaiting incorporation into work plans.

A motion to adopt items 6–19 as recommended by the executive director passed without a recorded roll call in the transcript.