FRESHER Act of 2013

Bill: 113-hr-1175
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Cartwright, Matt [D-PA-17]
Introduced: 2013-03-14
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Agricultural conservation and pollution

Agricultural practices and innovations

Congressional oversight

Environmental assessment, monitoring, research

Licensing and registrations

Oil and gas

Water quality
Latest action: action_date: 2013-03-15
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

Summaries:
action_date: 2013-03-14
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>Focused Reduction of Effluence and Stormwater runoff through Hydrofracking Environmental Regulation Act of 2013 or the FRESHER Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to repeal provisions prohibiting the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from requiring or directing a state to require a permit under the national pollutant discharge elimination system for discharges of stormwater runoff from mining, oil, and gas operations or transmission facilities composed entirely of flows from conveyances used for collecting and conveying precipitation runoff that are not contaminated by contact with any overburden, raw material, intermediate products, finished product, byproduct, or waste products located on the site of such operations. </p> <p>Requires the Secretary of the Interior to study and report on stormwater impacts with respect to any area that may be contaminated by stormwater runoff associated with oil or gas operations, including an analysis of: (1) measurable contamination in such area, (2) ground water resources in such area, and (3) the susceptibility of aquifers in such area to contamination from stormwater runoff associated with such operations.</p>

tv_txt: I 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1175 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 14, 2013 Mr. Cartwright (for himself, Mr. Blumenauer , Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania , Mr. Capuano , Mr. Connolly , Mr. Ellison , Mr. Farr , Mr. Fattah , Mr. Grayson , Mr. Grijalva , Mr. Hastings of Florida , Mr. Holt , Mr. Honda , Mr. Huffman , Mr. Keating , Mr. Langevin , Ms. Lee of California , Ms. Lofgren , Mrs. Lowey , Ms. McCollum , Ms. Meng , Mr. Moran , Mr. Nadler , Ms. Norton , Mr. Pocan , Mr. Polis , Mr. Quigley , Ms. Schakowsky , Ms. Schwartz , Ms. Slaughter , Mr. Smith of Nebraska , Mr. Tonko , Ms. Tsongas , Mr. Sarbanes , Mr. Takano , Mr. Yarmuth , Mr. Peters of Michigan , Mr. Lowenthal , Mr. Cohen , Ms. Pingree of Maine , Ms. Chu , Mr. Van Hollen , and Ms. Edwards ) 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Focused Reduction of Effluence and Stormwater runoff through Hydrofracking Environmental Regulation Act of 2013 or the FRESHER Act of 2013 . 2. Stormwater runoff from oil, gas, and mining operations (a) Limitation on permit requirement Section 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1342 ) is amended by striking subsection (l) and inserting the following: (l) Limitation on permit requirement The Administrator shall not require a permit under this section for discharges composed entirely of return flows from irrigated agriculture, nor shall the Administrator directly or indirectly, require any State to require such a permit. . (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 paragraph (25) as paragraph (24). (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).