I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2850 

To require certain procedures in the conduct by the Environmental Protection 

Agency of its study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing 

on drinking water resources. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 30, 2013 

Mr. SMITH of Texas (for himself, Mr. STEWART, and Mrs. LUMMIS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, 

Space, and Technology 

A BILL 

To require certain procedures in the conduct by the Environmental Protection Agency of its study of the potential 

impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘EPA Hydraulic Frac5 turing Study Improvement Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. EPA HYDRAULIC FRACTURING RESEARCH. 

7 In conducting its study of the potential impacts of 

8 hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources, with reVerDate Mar 15 2010 21:46 Aug 01, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2850.IH H2850

sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 2850 IH

1 spect to which a request for information was issued under 

2 Federal Register Vol. 77, No. 218, the Administrator of 

3 the Environmental Protection Agency shall adhere to the 

4 following requirements: 

5 (1) PEER REVIEW AND INFORMATION QUAL6 ITY.—Prior to issuance and dissemination of any 

7 final report or any interim report summarizing the 

8 Environmental Protection Agency’s research on the 

9 relationship between hydraulic fracturing and drink10 ing water, the Administrator shall— 

11 (A) consider such reports to be Highly In12 fluential Scientific Assessments and require 

13 peer review of such reports in accordance with 

14 guidelines governing such assessments, as de15 scribed in— 

16 (i) the Environmental Protection 

17 Agency’s Peer Review Handbook 3rd Edi18 tion; 

19 (ii) the Environmental Protection 

20 Agency’s Scientific Integrity Policy, as in 

21 effect on the date of enactment of this Act; 

22 and 

23 (iii) the Office of Management and 

24 Budget’s Peer Review Bulletin, as in effect 

25 on the date of enactment of this Act; and 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 2850 IH

1 (B) require such reports to meet the stand2 ards and procedures for the dissemination of in3 fluential scientific, financial, or statistical infor4 mation set forth in the Environmental Protec5 tion Agency’s Guidelines for Ensuring and 

6 Maximizing the Quality, Objectivity, Utility, 

7 and Integrity of Information Disseminated by 

8 the Environmental Protection Agency, devel9 oped in response to guidelines issued by the Of10 fice of Management and Budget under section 

11 515(a) of the Treasury and General Govern12 ment Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2001 

13 (Public Law 106–554). 

14 (2) PROBABILITY, UNCERTAINTY, AND CON15 SEQUENCE.—In order to maximize the quality and 

16 utility of information developed through the study, 

17 the Administrator shall ensure that identification of 

18 the possible impacts of hydraulic fracturing on 

19 drinking water resources included in such reports be 

20 accompanied by objective estimates of the prob21 ability, uncertainty, and consequence of each identi22 fied impact, taking into account the risk manage23 ment practices of States and industry. Estimates or 

24 descriptions of probability, uncertainty, and con25 sequence shall be as quantitative as possible given 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 2850 IH

1 the validity, accuracy, precision, and other quality 

2 attributes of the underlying data and analyses, but 

3 no more quantitative than the data and analyses can 

4 support. 

Æ 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS