FRESHER Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1554
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD]
Introduced: 2015-06-11
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: 2015-06-11
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Summaries:
action_date: 2015-06-11
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Focused Reduction of Effluence and Stormwater runoff through Hydrofracking Environmental Regulation Act of 2015 or the FRESHER Act of 2015 </b></p> <p>This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to allow the Environmental Protection Agency to require a permit under the national pollutant discharge elimination system for discharges of stormwater runoff from: (1) mining operations; (2) oil and gas operations; or (3) transmission facilities 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 the operations.</p> <p>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.</p>

tv_txt: II 114th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1554 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 11, 2015 Mr. Cardin (for himself, Mr. Merkley , Mr. Whitehouse , and Mrs. Feinstein ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works A BILL To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and to 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 2015 or the FRESHER Act of 2015 . 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( l )) is amended— (1) by striking paragraph (2); (2) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (2); and (3) in paragraph (2)(C) (as so redesignated), by striking 402( l )(3)(A) each place it appears and inserting subparagraph (A) . (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) and (26) as paragraphs (24) and (25), 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 an analysis of— (A) measurable contamination in the area; (B) ground water resources in the area; and (C) the susceptibility of aquifers in the area to contamination from stormwater runoff associated with the oil or gas operations. (2) Report Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the results of the study conducted under paragraph (1).