What Does the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Do? TCEQ's Functions and Purposes

Have you ever wondered what the actual function and mission of the TCEQ is? Is there a defined role to this amorphous regulatory agency that generally oversees and regulates "the environment" in the State of Texas?

The Texas Legislature created the agency Sept. 1, 1993,
by consolidating the Texas Water Commission, the
Texas Air Control Board, and environmental programs
from the Texas Department of Health. The agency’s
major responsibilities fall into the following categories:

■ Implementing state and federal environmental
regulatory laws by issuing permits and authorizations
for the control of air pollution; the safe
operation of water and wastewater facilities; and
the treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous,
industrial, and municipal waste and of lowlevel
radioactive waste.
■ Ensuring compliance with state and federal
environmental laws and regulations by:
conducting inspections of regulated facilities,
monitoring air and water quality, providing
technical assistance, encouraging voluntary
compliance, and taking formal enforcement
action against suspected violators.
■ Developing plans for the cleanup and eventual
reclamation of contaminated industrial and
abandoned hazardous waste sites, and for the
restoration of air and water quality.
■ Setting water rates and allocating surface
water rights.
■ Planning for air quality, water quality, and waste
management by developing the State Implementation
Plan for attainment of the National
Ambient Air Quality Standards, developing
total maximum daily loads to improve water
quality, and analyzing solid waste generation
and management in Texas.
■ Ensuring the delivery of 100 percent of Texas’
equitable share of water as apportioned by the
Texas River Compacts.