Transcript Highlights:

• And the buffer has nothing to do with water quality, water quantity.
• Water is science. If we let it become emotional we are in trouble. Water has to be done by science.
• Nobody knows water layout better than water management.
• Nobody knows water layout better than water management.
• If you look at the water management district, it is based on water for that region. Rep.

Transcript Highlights:

• So it's, you know, close to 20 times heavier than water, or more dense than water, I should say.
• We have no water.
• And so we eliminate the water there.
• , with economic development.
• We get the hydrogen off, but we can split water. When we split water, we also get oxygen.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• West had in their Land Land Development West had in their Land Land Development uh<00:21:08.400>
• water heaters alongside<00:37:43.880> solar<00:37:44.520> hot<00:37:44.760> water
• We do solar hot water, but we also sell heat pumps, electric water heaters, and instant gas demand water
• Factor required for solar hot water Factor required for solar hot water heaters<00:43:11.240>
• interactive none of the solar water interactive none of the solar water heaters<00:45:05.440>

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection opened its first hearing of the session and heard testimony on several energy and environmental bills. On HB 470, relating to noise and leaf blowers, the Department of Health supported the bill’s intent to reduce noise pollution but raised concerns about using decibel limits alone and suggested using dBA measurements; testimony also noted the bill would regulate future sales rather than current use, and there were three additional testimonies, two in support and one in opposition. No questions were raised before the committee moved on. The committee then heard HB 742 on transit-oriented development, which would require HCDA to prepare a programmatic EIS for Ewa, Kapalama, and West Oahu improvements. UH supported the bill, HHFDC said it was already preparing a master plan and programmatic EIS for the Ewa area, and HCDA explained that the projects are already underway or completed, including infrastructure work funded by prior appropriations. Supporters said the bill would streamline environmental review and potentially reduce costs for future housing, while HCDA emphasized the work is already in progress. On HB 340, concerning a streamlined grid-ready home interconnection process and related cost recovery, DCCA provided comments, the Attorney General suggested changing a deadline to a specific date, and the PUC said it wanted to study the matter further while still meeting the 180-day reporting requirement. Solar and clean energy groups strongly supported the bill as a way to speed interconnection and advance grid-interactive technologies, while Hawaiian Electric supported the goal of more DERs but opposed the process, saying its interconnection performance has improved and that collaboration would be preferable to legislation. Members asked about newer technologies, UL 1741, and ratepayer impacts, and the Consumer Advocate said removing the cost-recovery section would alleviate its concerns. The committee also heard HB 243, requiring PV- and EV-ready new residential construction, which the Hawaii State Energy Office described as a cost-saving no-brainer because installing these features during construction is much cheaper than retrofitting later. The hearing then shifted to HB 350, expanding the water-heater systems that can satisfy building-permit requirements to include heat pump water heaters alongside solar hot water systems. The Energy Office supported the bill, Solar Ray supported the concept but asked for amendments to align efficiency standards and noted the bill’s removal of a 15-year lifespan limit for solar thermal systems, and Hawaii Solar Energy Association raised questions about how heat pump performance should be measured and whether PV-plus-heat-pump combinations should qualify. Committee members asked about impacts on smaller homes and ADUs, and the discussion remained focused on technical standards and possible amendments; no votes or final actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• We keep working on it, and that's because the human right to water isn't just about clean and safe water
• It's also about affordable water.
• Water Act, and part of the Safe Drinking Water Act is establishing health-protective standards.
• But yes, there is a cost of providing safe drinking water, and there is a cost to water systems.
• They are barriers to development.

Summary: The committee heard several energy, water, and utility bills. SB 919 by Senator Grayson would extend the biomethane monetary incentive program through 2030 and authorize additional funding to support renewable natural gas projects by reducing interconnection costs. Supporters said high interconnection costs and the current tax treatment are major barriers to methane reduction projects; opponents, including TURN and environmental groups, raised ratepayer cost concerns and objected to rate-basing and additional public funding. The author said amended language would remove the rate-basing provisions and instead urge the CPUC to act quickly on its pending decision. SB 931 by Senator Laird would reauthorize the Community Impact Mitigation Program for the Diablo Canyon plant through 2030 to continue funding local emergency preparedness, fire protection, public safety, and school district costs. The County of San Luis Obispo and labor groups supported the bill, while TURN opposed it as a statewide ratepayer subsidy that could be funded from existing PG&E revenues instead of higher rates. Members discussed the bill in the context of the 2022 Diablo Canyon extension deal and the possibility of a future longer extension. SB 1215 by Senator Cortese would direct the CPUC to set deployment targets for EV charging in multifamily housing and evaluate progress, with amendments aimed at affordability and limiting system upgrade costs. Supporters said renters are largely locked out of home charging and that prior utility programs proved cost-effective; no opposition testified. SB 1359 by Senator Stern would require more deliberate CPUC review before major gas system investments, emphasizing electrification and non-pipeline alternatives. Gas utilities and several industry groups opposed it, arguing it could undermine the obligation to serve, create safety and reliability risks, and change the regulatory compact. The committee also heard SB 1125 by Senator Menjivar, presented by Senator Gonzalez, which would establish a statewide low-income water rate assistance program upon appropriation. Water agencies, environmental groups, and local governments supported the measure, while one member expressed concern that it lacked a funding source and could not overcome Proposition 218 limits; the bill was moved to Appropriations and the roll was left open. Finally, SB 1098 by Senator Perez would restrict the use of long-running memorandum and balancing accounts by investor-owned utilities, require exceptional circumstances for new accounts, and add sunset and cost-sharing requirements. Consumer advocates and large energy users supported tighter oversight, while the utilities and business groups opposed the bill as too rigid and potentially harmful to flexibility for wildfire, emergency, and safety-related costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Development.
• Development Program.
• them as Commercial Development.
• And Housing Development.
• as they develop.

Transcript Highlights:

• Development Board.
• As I mentioned, Brooke served on the Water Development Board, where she served as chair—the first woman
• I was not here; I was at the Water Development Board when it was released. I read it.
• Water pollution, those are developed largely at the local level with our participation.
• from the waters.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Please join me in welcoming Brooke Pop, a fabulous nominee to TCEQ who's been over at the Water Development
• Prior to her service at TCEQ, as I mentioned, Brooke served on the Water Development Board, where she
• The Sunset Report, I was not here, I was at the Water Development Board when it was released.
• Their attestation that they're providing enough water for X number of years, firm water.
• from the waters of the state.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Nominations met with a quorum and first took up pending nominations from an earlier agenda. Members severed Douglas McReecken, nominated to the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents, from the rest of the list and then voted to report the remaining nominees to the full Senate by a 7-0 vote. The committee then voted on the severed nomination itself and reported Douglas McReecken to the full Senate as well, by a 5-2 vote. The committee heard testimony from Brooke Pop, reappointed as chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and later from Commissioner Katarina Gonzalez, also of TCEQ. Questions focused on whether TCEQ rules comply with state law, ex parte restrictions, public transparency, concrete batch plant permitting, MUD approvals, water availability, illegal dams, enforcement, and the agency’s role in local environmental disputes. Both nominees said they follow the law as written, described internal legal review of rules, and emphasized transparency, public outreach, and enforcement; Gonzalez said she had already sent back two rules she believed did not comply with legislation. Members also discussed TCEQ’s authority limits and the need for clearer public communication about what the agency can and cannot regulate. The committee also considered Alethea Sullivan, nominated to the Texas Southern University Board of Regents. Questions centered on TSU’s status as an independent institution, the role of HBCUs amid DEI-related legal changes, and student outcomes. Sullivan said she would focus on ensuring taxpayer and student resources produce valuable credentials and noted concerns from her review of graduation and bar passage rates. The committee then heard from Benjamin Barkley, appointed chief executive and public counsel of the Office of Public Utility Counsel. Barkley said OPUC’s main need is additional funding to recruit and retain attorneys and expert witnesses, reduce turnover, and continue representing residential and small commercial consumers in utility rate cases; he said the office was involved in 73 contested cases and saved Texans $2.2 billion in FY 2024. No final action was taken on the later nominees, and the committee recessed with nominations left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• Texas Water Development Board, I would like to clarify the rationale behind this decision.
• Division Director for the Texas Water Development Board.
• So this concludes the high-level overview of the Texas Mesonet Program at the Texas Water Development
• I am not familiar with the flood decision support toolbox what it shows water development board.
• Water Development Board, who do you give your data to?

Keywords: 997, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:10:36.880> It around the water. It's been amended. It around the water.
• Is that public water or is it private water?
• the water and the bill says overwater. the water and the bill says overwater.
• <00:15:18.320> And<00:15:18.480> with water or is it private water?
• And with water or is it private water?

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on SB 27FN, which would change how improvements to dwellings over water are handled and align those projects more closely with the state building code. The bill was presented by Trisha Milo on behalf of Senator Lang, and attorney John Cronin explained that it arose from a specific New Hampshire Supreme Court case involving the Newcombs’ lakeside property, but that it could affect a small number of older waterfront homes statewide. He said the intent was to give the Department of Environmental Services (DES) limited waiver authority for improvements that do not harm water quality, plant life, or fish, while still requiring DES review and local permits. Committee members asked several questions about the scope of the bill, including whether it was tied to one case, how many properties might be affected, what counts as “living space,” and whether the language could allow larger decks or other expansions. Cronin said the bill was meant to be narrow, focused on access and egress and not on creating new living space, and that DES would still be able to deny unreasonable requests. He also described the Newcombs’ project as a rehabilitation of an older structure that had been approved locally and later challenged by DES, leading to the current dispute. Darlene Forst, the Wetlands Bureau administrator at DES, testified in opposition. She said the department was surprised the bill was being heard because it believed the Senate had sent it to interim study, and she argued the language was unclear and could have broader statewide effects than intended. Forst also said the underlying case was still active and should not be effectively re-litigated through this bill. No vote or final committee action was taken during the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• tiers for water use.
• Decoupling changed the water utility business model from selling water to conserving water.
• Decoupling changed the water utility business model from selling water to conserving water, and it allowed
• water utilities.
• So water utilities are not incentivized to over-forecast water sales.

Summary: The committee heard several energy and water affordability bills, with extensive testimony on SB 254 by Senator Becker, SB 541 by Senator Becker, SB 453 by Senator Stern, SB 292 by Senator Caballero, and SB 473 by Senator Padilla. SB 254 was presented as a broad utility affordability package addressing short-term climate credits, a Power Fund, tighter scrutiny of rate increases and utility profits, wildfire spending, securitization of future utility costs, and streamlining. Supporters, including TURN and several environmental and public power groups, said it could lower bills and reduce long-term costs; opponents from investor-owned utilities, labor, business, and local government raised concerns about market impacts, insufficient analysis, and the breadth of the bill. The committee approved SB 254 on a 6-3 vote and placed it on call. SB 541 focused on load flexibility and using existing grid capacity more efficiently. Senator Becker described it as a transparency and planning measure to identify cost-effective load shifting and reduce peak demand, while supporters said it could improve resiliency and save money. Several CCAs and utilities opposed the bill in print or unless amended, arguing that some language implied a mandate and that the concept needed more cost-effectiveness analysis; the author said amendments would remove language dividing the state goal among retail suppliers and clarify that the bill is not a procurement mandate. The committee passed SB 541 as amended to Appropriations on a 9-1 vote and left it on call. SB 453 by Senator Stern would return unspent ratepayer-funded microgrid program dollars and was described as a way to keep the lights on and redirect unused funds. It drew support from local government and environmental groups, with PG&E expressing concern about how the bill would affect its ability to spend awarded funds. The committee passed SB 453 as amended to Appropriations on a 12-0 vote. SB 292 by Senator Caballero would require more granular outage and reliability reporting, including census-tract-level data, to better inform resilience planning after PSPS events; utilities opposed unless amended, citing duplicative reporting and regulatory overlap, but the bill passed 12-0 to Appropriations. SB 473 by Senator Padilla would require or expand water utility decoupling to promote conservation and affordability. Supporters, including water utilities, labor, business, and local government groups, argued decoupling stabilizes revenue, supports conservation, and can keep rates lower for low-use customers. The Public Advocates Office opposed, saying prior pilot data showed no conservation benefit and about $1 billion in added costs, and that the CPUC had already rejected similar requests. Committee members questioned the conservation and capital-investment effects of the different rate structures; the author and supporters argued decoupling helps utilities fund infrastructure while allowing lower fixed charges for low-use customers. The transcript ends during that discussion, before a final vote on SB 473 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• to ensure that Mexico honors the 1944 Water Treaty.
• We all know that water is one of the main issues this session.
• I mean this is water that's that's owed to us.
• justice on the 1944 US-Mexico water treaty.
• Legally, any water in a Texas watercourse is the property of the state, including water that comes from

Transcript Highlights:

• While this ban has been effective in state waters, threats still exist in federal waters.
• with Colorado water law.
• with Colorado water law.
• with Colorado water law.
• The geothermal cost development.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• SAWS is an agency At the city of San Antonio, we provide water, waste water, and recycled water services
• Last time I talked to the Texas Water Development Board which honestly was over month ago.
• In Texas, we all know the strains we have on our drinking water supplies. Water Development Board.
• Fun fact, toilet water is cleaner than water fountain water.
• Texas 811 has worked with the Water Conservation Advisory Council of the Texas Water Development Board

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• an SMR... ...nuclear development.
• On the water side of things, if you really wanted to have an SMR located in an area that was highly water
• When you start moving into some of the modular technologies, whether it be light water or non-light water
• with developing, these solar and wind developers, they build the project and then they transfer them
• This is 20 feet of water.

Summary: The Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee met to hear a series of presentations on the economics, financing, workforce, and community impacts of advanced nuclear deployment in North Dakota. William Bridge of Nucleon Energy presented the committee’s economic impacts and private-sector financing report, estimating construction and operating job impacts, local spending, and state/local tax effects for hypothetical SMR projects. He said the report assumes first-of-a-kind costs are still high, used a $6 million per megawatt nth-of-a-kind proxy, and estimated peak construction workforces of about 500 for a 200-MW plant and 1,000 for a larger facility, with roughly 100 operating jobs for a 200-MW plant. Committee members questioned security costs, capital cost assumptions, water and transmission siting constraints, and whether the model included fuel and waste; Bridge said the report included initial fuel in capital cost and that waste disposal is funded through existing federal mechanisms. Lori Brady of the Nuclear Energy Institute then outlined national nuclear workforce needs and NEI’s strategic workforce planning efforts. She described declining labor-force participation, retirements, and the need for a much larger future workforce, and said NEI has organized recommendations around career awareness, pipelines, training and qualification, policy support, retention, and nontraditional recruitment. She highlighted tools such as the Nuclear Works career website, the Nuclear Energy Academic Roadmap, the new federal Energy and Natural Resources career cluster, and the Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program for community colleges. Members asked about AI, timing for training relative to plant development, and whether advanced manufacturing would reduce staffing needs; Brady said AI is not expected to replace workers and that training timelines depend on the specific project and staffing plan. The committee also heard from Gary Yaco, mayor of Red Wing, Minnesota, who described Prairie Island’s role in his community. He said the plant provides a large share of local property tax revenue, supports well-paid jobs, contributes to emergency preparedness funding and training, and is broadly supported by the city despite periodic protests and public concerns. He emphasized the plant’s security, regular drills with local and federal responders, and the absence of problems with dry cask storage. Later, Benton Arnett of NEI discussed the current financing landscape for advanced nuclear, explaining how tax credits, federal loan support, off-take agreements, and new business models are helping projects move forward. He said early projects face high upfront costs and long lead-time procurement, but that investor confidence is improving as federal policy and regulatory streamlining continue. The committee asked about waste funding, comparisons with natural gas, the effect of political shifts on investor confidence, and whether the market will narrow to a few winning technologies; Arnett said the industry is still sorting that out, but expects clearer winners in the late 2020s and early 2030s. The meeting concluded with an introductory presentation from Julie Kazeraki of DOE’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing, who said the office is focused on accelerating nuclear deployment through financing support.

Transcript Highlights:

• Pecans take a significant amount of water, we know that, um, and we're working on how to increase water
• They've developed a greenhouse.
• Is that technology being developed that way? Are we developing that patent that way? Mr.
• You know, water rules were made in 1938 and all the surface water in Rio Riba.
• Water trust board and if the water trust board approves them and decides they want to award you money

Transcript Highlights:

• , and 29 Palms Water District.
• to Palmdale Water District, San Bernardino County Supervisor Don Roe, San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency
• Supervisor Don Roe, San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency, and 29 Palms Water District, all in support.
• Water District, Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency, San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District, and CalChamber
• Hello, Jamie Goh, on behalf of Irvine Ranch Water District, San Diego Water Authority, East Valley Water

Summary: The committee heard SB 1393, an omnibus update to the Fish and Game Code covering steelhead trout and Dungeness crab management. The author and supporters said the bill would strengthen the steelhead trout report card program, extend and refine Dungeness crab management, and clarify vessel transit rules in closed crab fishing areas. The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, and other supporters said the measure implements long-standing task force recommendations and supports both conservation and coastal fishing communities. There was no opposition, and the bill was moved forward on a 4-0 vote to Appropriations. The committee also heard SB 1250, which would require Caltrans to incorporate wildlife connectivity into transportation planning and asset management, set performance targets, and coordinate with wildlife agencies. Supporters from conservation, animal welfare, land trust, and local government groups said the bill would reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions, improve public safety, and better integrate crossings, culverts, and fencing into routine highway projects. The California Building Industry Association moved to a neutral position after amendments clarified the bill would apply to transportation right-of-way planning and not create exactions on private property. Members discussed the bill’s relationship to Caltrans planning authority and existing funding, and it was passed to Appropriations on a 4-0 vote. Senator Gonzalez’s SB 1268, which would codify the state’s Outdoors for All initiative, also received broad support from environmental justice, conservation, parks, and recreation groups. Testimony emphasized inequitable access to parks and nature, especially for low-income communities and communities of color, and said the bill would make the initiative more durable by placing it in statute. The chair and members spoke in favor of expanding outdoor access, and the bill was approved on a 3-0 vote with some members not yet voting. The committee then heard three Western Joshua tree bills from Senator Ochoa Bogh. SB 1061 would streamline relocation of limited numbers of trees without fees in certain cases; SB 1062 would require proportionate or tiered mitigation fees for public utilities and agencies; and SB 1063 would create an expedited, fee-free permitting path for basic residential utility and wildfire-hardening projects. Supporters, including local water agencies, counties, and farm and business groups, said the current law imposes heavy costs on desert residents and ratepayers. Opponents, including wildlife and conservation organizations, argued the bills would weaken protections for a species they said is threatened by climate change and habitat loss, and noted that existing administrative processes are already addressing fees and permitting. After amendments, opposition was withdrawn on SB 1061 and SB 1062, and both bills advanced on 3-0 votes to Appropriations; SB 1063 remained under discussion in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• My personal facility took 9 and a half feet of water at it.
• Oliver Saint Martin's water, a few gender.
• The water is what makes the oyster taste good.
• They're they're they're taking care of the water there.
• It must protect and enhance water.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We also have water issues.
• Old water is life. Thank you so much for your time.
• It started Out as major water projects.
• Or take care of my cattle, so we can either haul water or pump water or do something to make sure that
• We recognize that water is life.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill is in response to several water districts concerned that the prohibition of imported water
• off water imports to local water supplies, and of course it's my county, LA County.
• We are one of three wholesale water agencies responsible for importing water to replenish the main San
• These actions have prevented water agencies from storing imported water supplies that are essential to
• Linda Noriega with California Domestic Water Company and San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority in

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But we have really bad water right now.
• The water is safe to drink.
• Donna Clinton: The majority of our water problems were deemed aesthetic by the Florida Rural Water Association
• They store and move fresh water, help recharge groundwater, and protect drinking water supplies.
• development.