TYLER, Texas (KETK) - The close of the second special session on Wednesday evening led to a disappointing end for House Bill 27, which would've required a study of new water drilling in East Texas.

"I'm disappointed, and I felt like if we'd had more time at the end of the session for the conference committees to actually do their work, we might have had a reasonable compromise," president of Clear Dick Swift said.

HB27 would've required the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) to conduct a study on the effects of drilling permits on the Neches and Trinity Valley Groundwater District. HB 27 also pushed for lawmakers to allow a 16-month pause on approving drilling permits during the TWDB study.

This leaves East Texans concerned about controversial groundwater drilling in the Neches and Tr

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