Drilling Near a School? HB 1121 Says Hold a Hearing First

A drilling rig wants to set up near your kid's school. Today, the people who live there may never get a public hearing on it. A bill filed in Austin says: hold one in the county first.

Plain English

On November 12, 2026, HB 1121 was filed in the Texas House. Texas Legislature Online lists the author as Rep. Bhojani. (FACT, HB 1121 bill history)

The caption: "Relating to the requirement of a public hearing on certain applications for a permit to drill an oil or gas well." (FACT, HB 1121 as filed)

Here is what it does.

Ask the question on the form. The Railroad Commission would have to make every applicant for a new oil or gas well say whether the site is within 1,500 feet of the property line of a child-care facility, a private school, a public primary or secondary school, or a school district facility used by students. (FACT, HB 1121, new Natural Resources Code 91.119(b))

Hold a hearing in that county. If the answer is yes, the Commission "may not grant" the permit unless it holds a public hearing in the county where the well would go, takes public comment on whether the permit "is in the public interest," and considers those comments before it decides. (FACT, 91.119(c))

Which private schools count. Private and parochial schools teaching any grade from kindergarten through 12, with more than 100 students at one location. (FACT, 91.119(a)(2))

Local rules stay put. The bill says it does not affect a city or county's authority to pass or enforce its own drilling ordinances. (FACT, 91.119(d))

When. It applies to permit applications filed after the Commission writes the rules. It takes effect September 1, 2027, or right away with a two-thirds vote in both chambers. (FACT, HB 1121, Secs. 2 and 3)

What the bill does not do

It does not ban a single well. It does not set a setback. It does not give anyone a veto.

The Commission can still grant the permit after the hearing. The bill only says it has to listen first, in the county, in public. (FACT, 91.119(c))

Why it matters

East Texas is oil and gas country. Always has been. The East Texas field built a lot of the towns I love.

I am not against drilling. I am for the people who live next to it.

A 1,500-foot line around a school is about five football fields. That is close enough for a parent to hear the rig from the drop-off line. (DOCUMENTED INFERENCE, simple math: a football field with end zones is 360 feet)

Because the bill adds a brand new hearing requirement, it tells you the law does not require one for these sites now. (DOCUMENTED INFERENCE, from the bill adding new Section 91.119)

The receipt

• HB 1121 as filed
• HB 1121 bill history
• Natural Resources Code Chapter 91

What Ryan says

(RYAN STATEMENT)

Mineral owners have rights. I respect that. A man who owns what is under his land should be able to produce it.

But a mom whose child sits in a classroom 1,200 feet away has a right too. The right to be heard before the decision gets made.

That is all this bill asks for. A meeting. In the county. On the record.

Not in an office in Austin. Not on a form nobody reads. In the county, where the people who live with it can show up and talk.

Hold the hearing. Take the comments. Then decide.

If the well is safe, the hearing costs the company a few weeks. If it is not, the hearing might be the only warning anybody gets.

I want to see who votes against letting parents speak.

And I want the same rule for every operator. Big company or small one. Same rule.

What this does not prove

It does not prove any well near a school in East Texas is unsafe. It does not prove the Commission ignores the public today. It does not prove the bill will get a hearing, a vote, or a signature. A bill filed is not a law passed.

What it does prove

A bill is on file that would make the Railroad Commission ask about schools and day cares on every new drilling application. It would make the Commission hold a public hearing in the county before approving a well within 1,500 feet of one. It would leave local ordinances alone.

The bottom line

Drill, baby, drill. Just do it in the open. Ask the question. Hold the hearing. Let the parents talk. Then put the votes on the record.

This is the record.

Do not threaten anyone. Do not harass anyone. Do not contact anyone in my name. Read it. Share it. Send receipts, evidence, witnesses. Put eyes on the record.