Lloyd Gosselink News
Municipal Corner
A Water Control and Improvement District may not use surplus “interest and sinking funds” to reduce the cost of future bonds. Tex. Att’y. Gen. Op. KP-0459 (2024). The Victoria County District Attorney requested an opinion from the Texas… Read More
“Ask Sarah” Column
Dear Sarah, I’m a small business owner here in town. Don’t you think it’s a bit of a pain to track employees clocking in and clocking out every day? What if I just pay all my employees a… Read More
In the Courts
Water Cases City of League City v. Galveston Cnty. Mun. Util. Dist. No. 6, No. 01-23-00007-CV, 2023 WL 8814635 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] Dec. 21, 2023, no pet. h.). The central issue in this case is whether… Read More
Agency Highlights
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) EPA Announces Final Rule Designating Two PFAS as Hazardous Substances Under CERCLA and Issues Enforcement Discretion Policy. On April 17, 2024, EPA posted a “pre-publication” copy of a final rule designating perfluorooctanoic acid… Read More
The Lone Star Current – January 2024 Edition
Click to get access to the newsletter cover to cover. Read More
Regulations on Images Captured by Drones
by Sydney P. Sadler In 2013, the Texas Legislature enacted Chapter 423 of the Texas Government Code, which governs the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles—drones—in Texas’s airspace (the “Drone Laws”). Tex. Gov’t Code § 423.001, et. seq. After… Read More
Water and Sewer Utility Rate Changes
by David J. Klein and Lauren A. Binger Chapter 13 of the Texas Water Code (the “TWC”) bestows jurisdiction to the Public Utility Commission (“PUC”) to establish a regulatory system to regulate retail public utilities to assure rates,… Read More
Tightening the Screws on Lead and Copper: The Lead and Copper Rule Improvements
by Nathan E. Vassar and Jessie S. Powell The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) has published its proposed updates to the already recently-revised lead and copper rule, styled as the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (the “LCRI”). Read More
Court of Appeals Dismisses Claims Against Power Generators Arising from Winter Storm Uri
by James F. Parker On December 14, 2023, the First Court of Appeals in Houston granted a writ of mandamus ordering the district court in the Winter Storm Uri Multi-District Litigation to dismiss the suits brought by thousands… Read More
Municipal Corner
A political subdivision has (1) jurisdiction over a portion of the state, (2) a governing body comprised of members locally elected or appointed, and (3) the power to assess and collect taxes. Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JS-0007 (2023). Read More