Title: FRESHER Act of 2019
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
Focused Reduction of Effluence and Stormwater runoff through Hydrofracking Environmental Regulation Act of 2019 or the FRESHER Act of 2019
This bill addresses stormwater runoff from mining, oil, or gas operations. Specifically, it eliminates a prohibition on the Environmental Protection Agency from requiring a permit under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System for discharges of certain collected, uncontaminated stormwater runoff from mining operations or oil and gas operations.
In addition, the Department of the Interior must study stormwater runoff associated with oil or gas operations, including an analysis of (1) measurable contamination, (2) groundwater resources, and (3) the susceptibility of aquifers to contamination from stormwater runoff associated with the operations.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4007 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4007

    To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and direct the 
Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study with respect to stormwater 
      runoff from oil and gas operations, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 25, 2019

Mr. Cartwright (for himself, Mr. Aguilar, Ms. Barragan, Mr. Beyer, Ms. 
Bonamici, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Connolly, Ms. DeGette, 
Ms. DelBene, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Higgins of New 
 York, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Kuster of 
New Hampshire, Mr. Langevin, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Lowenthal, Mr. 
Lynch, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Ms. McCollum, Mr. McGovern, 
  Ms. Meng, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Neguse, Ms. Norton, Ms. Pingree, Mr. 
  Raskin, Mr. Sarbanes, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Serrano, Mr. 
 Smith of Washington, Mr. Soto, Ms. Speier, Mr. Takano, Ms. Wasserman 
Schultz, Mr. Welch, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Quigley, Mr. Yarmuth, Ms. Omar, 
  Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mr. Morelle, and Mr. Scott of 
  Virginia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and direct the 
Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study with respect to stormwater 
      runoff from oil and gas operations, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Focused Reduction of Effluence and 
Stormwater runoff through Hydrofracking Environmental Regulation Act of 
2019'' or the ``FRESHER Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. STORMWATER RUNOFF FROM OIL, GAS, AND MINING OPERATIONS.

    (a) Limitation on Permit Requirement.--Section 402(l) of the 
Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1342) is amended by 
striking paragraph (2) and redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph 
(2).
    (b) Definitions.--Section 502 of the Federal Water Pollution 
Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1362) is amended--
            (1) by striking paragraph (24); and
            (2) by redesignating paragraphs (25) through (27) as 
        paragraphs (24) through (26), respectively.
    (c) Study.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of the Interior shall 
        conduct a study of stormwater impacts with respect to any area 
        that the Secretary determines may be contaminated by stormwater 
        runoff associated with oil or gas operations, which shall 
        include--
                    (A) an analysis of measurable contamination in such 
                area;
                    (B) an analysis of ground water resources in such 
                area; and
                    (C) an analysis of the susceptibility of aquifers 
                in such area to contamination from stormwater runoff 
                associated with such operations.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this section, the Secretary shall submit to 
        Congress a report on the results of studies conducted under 
        paragraph (1).
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