TX SB1413

Expands eligibility for expedited release from water utility certificates of public convenience and necessity to include landowners with tracts of at least 25 acres located in counties adjacent to counties that are themselves adjacent to counties with populations of at least 1.2 million

Removes a previous exemption that excluded counties with populations between 50,500 and 52,000 from the expedited release process

Requires landowners in the newly eligible counties to provide written notice (by certified and regular mail) to the certificate holder at least 60 days before submitting a petition for expedited release, though this notice may be waived

Allows petitioners to pay or defease federal loans on behalf of certificate holders to facilitate the release process, and authorizes the utility commission to order certificate holders to accept such payments

Changes compensation requirements from discretionary ("may") to mandatory ("shall"), requiring the utility commission to order compensation to certificate holders when determined to be owed under the applicable statutes