Sec. 61.132. CLOSING OF BEACHES FOR SPACE FLIGHT ACTIVITIES. (a) This section applies only to a county bordering on the Gulf of Mexico or its tidewater limits that contains a launch site the construction and operation of which have been approved in a record of decision issued by the Federal Aviation Administration following the preparation of an environmental impact statement by that administration.
(b) A person planning to conduct a launch in a county to which this section applies must submit to the commissioners court proposed primary and backup launch dates for the launch.
(c) To protect the public health, safety, and welfare, the commissioners court by order may temporarily close a beach in reasonable proximity to the launch site or access points to the beach in the county on a primary or backup launch date, subject to Subsection (d).
(d) The commissioners court may not close a beach or access points to the beach on a primary launch date consisting of any of the following days without the approval of the land office:
(1) the Saturday or Sunday preceding Memorial Day;
(2) Memorial Day;
(3) July 4;
(4) Labor Day; or
(5) a Saturday or Sunday that is after Memorial Day but before Labor Day.
(e) The commissioners court must comply with the county's beach access and use plan adopted and certified under Section 61.015 and dune protection plan adopted and certified under Chapter 63 when closing a beach or access point under this section.
(f) The land office may:
(1) approve or deny a beach or access point closure request under Subsection (d);
(2) enter into a memorandum of agreement with the commissioners court of a county to which this section applies to govern beach and access point closures made under this section; and
(3) adopt rules to govern beach and access point closures made under this section.
Added by Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 152 (H.B. 2623), Sec. 3, eff. May 24, 2013.
Last modified: September 28, 2016