A Senate panel has approved a bill that would limit cities and towns from passing local ordinances restricting oil and gas drilling and exploration.
The Senate Energy Committee voted 10-1 on Wednesday to advance the bill by Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman. The measure now heads to the full Senate.
The bill is among several filed this year to limit local regulations in the wake of a ban on hydraulic fracturing that voters in the north Texas city of Denton overwhelmingly approved in November. Bingman says the bill is designed to protect one of the state's most economically important industries.
The bill would allow cities and towns to enact "reasonable" ordinances on things like road use and setbacks for oil and gas well sites.
