Texas Health and Safety Code - HEALTH & SAFETY § 382.032. Appeal of Commission Action

(a) A person affected by a ruling, order, decision, or other act of the commission or of the executive director, if an appeal to the commission is not provided, may appeal the action by filing a petition in a district court of Travis County.

(b) The petition must be filed in the time required by Section 5.351, Water Code, unless the appeal relates to the commission's failure to take final action on an application for a federal operating permit, a reopening of a federal operating permit, a revision to a federal operating permit, or a permit renewal application for a federal operating permit in accordance with Section 382.0542(b), in which case the petition may be filed at any time before the commission or the executive director takes final action.

(c) Service of citation on the commission must be accomplished within 30 days after the date on which the petition is filed. Citation may be served on the executive director or any commission member.

(d) The plaintiff shall pursue the action with reasonable diligence. If the plaintiff does not prosecute the action within one year after the date on which the action is filed, the court shall presume that the action has been abandoned. The court shall dismiss the suit on a motion for dismissal made by the attorney general unless the plaintiff, after receiving due notice, can show good and sufficient cause for the delay.

(e) In an appeal of an action of the commission or executive director other than cancellation or suspension of a variance, the issue is whether the action is invalid, arbitrary, or unreasonable.

(f) An appeal of the cancellation or suspension of a variance must be tried in the same manner as appeals from the justice court to the county court.