Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act of 2015

Bill: 114-hr-1482
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. DeGette, Diana [D-CO-1]
Introduced: 2015-03-19
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Alternative and renewable resources

Business records

Emergency medical services and trauma care

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Environmental regulatory procedures

Government information and archives

Hazardous wastes and toxic substances

Oil and gas

Water quality

Water use and supply
Latest action: action_date: 2015-03-20
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy.

Summaries:
action_date: 2015-03-19
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act of 2015 </b></p> <p>This bill repeals the exemption for hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a process to extract underground resources such as oil or gas from a geologic formation by injecting water, a propping agent (e.g., sand), and chemical additives into a well under enough pressure to fracture the geological formation.</p> <p>The chemicals intended for use in underground injections must be disclosed before the hydraulic fracturing operations commence. The chemicals actually used must also be disclosed at the end of the operations. The disclosure must be made to state underground injection programs or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) if the EPA has primary enforcement responsibility in the state. The state or the EPA must make the disclosure available to the public.</p> <p>When a medical emergency exists and the proprietary chemical formula of a chemical used in the operations is necessary for medical treatment, hydraulic fracturing operations must disclose the formula or the specific chemical identity of a trade secret chemical to the state, the EPA, or the treating physician or nurse upon request, regardless of whether a written statement of need or a confidentiality agreement has been provided. Hydraulic fracturing operations may require a written statement of need and a confidentiality agreement as soon thereafter as circumstances permit.</p>

tv_txt: I 114th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1482 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 19, 2015 Ms. DeGette (for herself and Mr. Gibson ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To repeal the exemption for hydraulic fracturing in the Safe Drinking Water Act, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act of 2015 . 2. Regulation of hydraulic fracturing (a) Hydraulic Fracturing Section 1421(d)(1) of the Safe Drinking Water Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300h(d)(1) ) is amended by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the following: (B) includes the underground injection of fluids or propping agents pursuant to hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities; but (C) excludes the underground injection of natural gas for purposes of storage. . (b) Disclosure of hydraulic fracturing chemicals; medical emergencies; proprietary chemical formulas Section 1421(b) of the Safe Drinking Water Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300H(b) ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (4) (A) Regulations included under paragraph (1)(C) shall include the following requirements: (i) A person conducting hydraulic fracturing operations shall disclose to the State (or the Administrator if the Administrator has primary enforcement responsibility in the State)— (I) prior to the commencement of any hydraulic fracturing operations at any lease area or portion thereof, a list of chemicals intended for use in any underground injection during such operations, including identification of the chemical constituents of mixtures, Chemical Abstracts Service numbers for each chemical and constituent, material safety data sheets when available, and the anticipated volume of each chemical; and (II) not later than 30 days after the end of any hydraulic fracturing operations, the list of chemicals used in each underground injection during such operations, including identification of the chemical constituents of mixtures, Chemical Abstracts Service numbers for each chemical and constituent, material safety data sheets when available, and the volume of each chemical used. (ii) The State or the Administrator, as applicable, shall make the disclosure of chemical constituents referred to in clause (i) available to the public, including by posting the information on an appropriate Internet Web site. (iii) Whenever the State or the Administrator, or a treating physician or nurse, determines that a medical emergency exists and the proprietary chemical formula of a chemical used in hydraulic fracturing operations is necessary for medical treatment, the person conducting the hydraulic fracturing operations shall, upon request, immediately disclose the proprietary chemical formulas or the specific chemical identity of a trade secret chemical to the State, the Administrator, or the treating physician or nurse, regardless of whether a written statement of need or a confidentiality agreement has been provided. The person conducting the hydraulic fracturing operations may require a written statement of need and a confidentiality agreement as soon thereafter as circumstances permit. (B) Subparagraphs (A)(i) and (A)(ii) do not authorize the State (or the Administrator) to require the public disclosure of proprietary chemical formulas. .