A07218 Summary:

BILL NOA07218B
 
SAME ASSAME AS S04220-B
 
SPONSORColton
 
COSPNSRRivera P, Miller M, Jaffee, Jacobs, Stevenson, Scarborough, Weisenberg, Kellner, Millman, Abinanti, Crespo, Rosenthal, Dinowitz, Weinstein, Maisel, Paulin, Weprin, Schimel, Ramos, Roberts, Skartados, Peoples-Stokes
 
MLTSPNSRBrennan, Clark, Cymbrowitz, Gibson, Glick, Latimer, Nolan, Robinson, Thiele
 
Amd SS23-0501 & 23-0305, add S17-0513, En Con L
 
Prohibits the use of hydraulic fracturing in the extraction of oil and gas; prohibits acceptance, disposal and/or processing of any fluid used in a hydraulic fracturing process.
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A07218 Actions:

BILL NOA07218B
 
04/19/2011referred to environmental conservation
12/14/2011amend (t) and recommit to environmental conservation
12/14/2011print number 7218a
01/04/2012referred to environmental conservation
05/07/2012amend and recommit to environmental conservation
05/07/2012print number 7218b
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A07218 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A7218B
 
SPONSOR: Colton
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to prohibiting the use of hydraulic fracturing and the disposal and/or processing of any fluid which was used in a hydraulic fracturing process   PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: The purpose of this legislation is to prohibit the use of hydraulic fracturing in the process of drilling for natural gas and/or oil and to prohibit the disposal and/or processing of hydrofracking fluids and drill =nines.   SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Section 1 of the bill amends paragraph b of subdivision I of section 23-0501 of the environmental conservation law by adding a new subpara- graph 4 which defines "Hydraulic Fracturing" to mean "fracturing of rock by man-made fluid-driven fracturing techniques for the purpose of stimu- lating natural gas or oil well production. Any fluid used in such a fracturing technique shall be deemed a 'hydraulic fracturing-nude, including water or liquid propane gas." Section 2 of the bill amends section 23-0305 of the environmental conservation law by adding a new subdivision 15 to prohibit the Depart- ment of Environmental Conservation from issuing any permit for the drilling or operation of any well proposing to use hydraulic fracturing or hydraulic fracturing fluids for the extraction of gas and/or oil. Section 3 of the bill amends subdivision 3 of section 23-0501 of the environmental conservation law by renumbering it to subdivision 4 of section 23-0501 and adds a new subdivision 3, paragraph a, to prohibit the Department of Environmental Conservation from issuing any permit for the drilling or operation of any well proposing to use hydraulic frac- turing or hydraulic fracturing fluids for the extraction of gas and/or oil; and, paragraph b that defines hydraulic fracturing as the fractur- ing of rock by Mat-made fluid-driven fracturing techniques for the purpose of stimulating natural gas or oil well production. Section 4 of the bill amends the environmental conservation law by adding a new section 17-0513 to prohibit the acceptance, disposal and /or processing of any fluid (including drill cutting) used in a hydrau- lic fracturing process. Drilling fluids include drilling mud, chemical additives contained in or added to drilling fluids during hydraulic fracturing process, flow back water and any other residual liquids. Drill cuttings include solid products removed from the well bore during an oil or gas well drilling operation. Section 5 sets an immediate effective date.   JUSTIFICATION: As the price of oil continues its meteoric rise due to demand and regional instability in oil producing nations, the cry for fuel alternatives including natural gas gets louder. In addition, the need for job creation becomes more imperative as New Yorkers try to recover from the economic crises of recent years and the state attempts to balance an out of control budget. Each of these mounting concerns compels the State to utilize its large natural gas reserves to alleviate these problems. Unfortunately, in our haste to find an expedient and viable solution to these issues the State could easily create a situ- ation where we put our citizens at grave risk of harm from an environ- mental disaster by expanding the use of hydraulic fracturing methods of extracting natural gas and oil. The extraction of natural gas and oil reserves using hydraulic fractur- ing presents significant risk to the environment. This method of natural gas and oil extraction utilizes water combined with multiple chemical additives, some of which are toxic and have been shown to be associated with public health risks such as cancer and developmental delays. Unfor- tunately many companies involved in drilling have been resistant to revealing which chemicals are contained in their fracturing fluids, making it difficult for communities to assess their risk due to drilling operations. There are also additional chemical contamination risks posed by transportation of chemicals to drilling sites and the storage of the millions of gallons of used fluids that are produced through the drill- ing process. Most importantly, a large proportion of the stale' s drinking water supplies come from areas located above the Utica and Marcellus Shale geological formations where much of the state's natural gas reserves exist. Use of hydraulic fracturing to extract these reserves inherently creates a tremendous risk of contamination to the State's drinking water supply and in turn risk of a significant public health crisis affecting millions of people both upstate and downstate. Moreover, communities located above the Utica and Marcellus Shales would be further burdened by the construction of new roads to accommodate drilling sites, increased traffic, and potential decreases in air quali- ty due to emissions from drilling operations. In addition, the state currently allows hydrofracking waste products, including drill cuttings (pulverized rock) and drilling fluid, to be dumped in OUT landfills, spread on our fields and roads and "treated" in waste treatment facilities that are not necessarily equipped to properly treat such materials. Much of this hydrofracking waste includes low-lev- el radioactive waste such as Ra-226 which is a /mown carcinogen and is especially dangerous if inhaled or ingested. It is not a stretch of the imagination to see that these waste products could very easily find their way into local ground water directly exposing people by ingestion of the water or by inhaling dust that comes from local landfills or from roads and fields where it has been spread. A significant amount of this hydtofracking waste is being imported from outside New York, primarily from neighboring Pennsylvania. Trucks cross New York State borders on a daily basis carrying this highly dangerous waste into our state and place many of our citizens at great risk. The risk of catastrophic danger to the environment, especially the state's drinking water supplies, as a result hydraulic fracturing far outweighs the potential for job creation and promotion of a.natural gas alternative to oil. Therefore, the practice of hydraulic fracturing and the disposal and/ or processing of hydrofracking fluids and drill cuttings should be banned throughout New York State.   PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: New bill.   FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: Yet to be determined.   EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect immediately.
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A07218 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                         7218--B
 
                               2011-2012 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                     April 19, 2011
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. COLTON, P. RIVERA, M. MILLER, JAFFEE, JACOBS,
          STEVENSON, SCARBOROUGH, WEISENBERG, KELLNER, MILLMAN, ABINANTI,  CRES-
          PO,  ROSENTHAL,  DINOWITZ, WEINSTEIN, MAISEL, PAULIN, WEPRIN, SCHIMEL,
          RAMOS -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. BRENNAN,  CYMBROWITZ,  GIBSON,
          GLICK,  LATIMER,  THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee on

          Environmental Conservation  --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,
          ordered  reprinted  as  amended  and  recommitted to said committee --
          recommitted to the Committee on Environmental Conservation in  accord-
          ance  with  Assembly  Rule  3,  sec.  2  -- committee discharged, bill
          amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said  commit-
          tee
 
        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  environmental  conservation law, in relation to
          prohibiting the use of hydraulic fracturing and  the  disposal  and/or
          processing of any fluid which was used in a hydraulic fracturing proc-
          ess
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. Paragraph b of subdivision 1  of  section  23-0501  of  the
     2  environmental conservation law is amended by adding a new subparagraph 4

     3  to read as follows:
     4    (4) "Hydraulic fracturing" means fracturing of rock by man-made fluid-
     5  driven  fracturing techniques for the purpose of stimulating natural gas
     6  or oil well production.  Any fluid used in such a  fracturing  technique
     7  shall  be  deemed  a  "hydraulic  fracturing  fluid", including water or
     8  liquid propane gas.
     9    § 2. Section 23-0305 of the environmental conservation law is  amended
    10  by adding a new subdivision 15 to read as follows:
    11    15. The department shall not issue a permit for the drilling or opera-
    12  tion  of  any  well  proposing  to use hydraulic fracturing or hydraulic
    13  fracturing fluids, as such terms are defined  by  subparagraph  four  of
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10073-09-2

        A. 7218--B                          2
 
     1  paragraph  b  of subdivision one of section 23-0501 of this article, for
     2  the extraction of gas and/or oil.
     3    §  3.  Subdivision 3 of section 23-0501 of the environmental conserva-
     4  tion law is renumbered subdivision 4 and a new subdivision 3 is added to
     5  read as follows:
     6    3. The department shall not issue a permit for the drilling or  opera-
     7  tion  of  any  well  proposing  to use hydraulic fracturing or hydraulic
     8  fracturing fluids for the extraction of gas and/or oil.
     9    § 4. The environmental conservation law is amended  by  adding  a  new
    10  section 17-0513 to read as follows:

    11  §  17-0513. Prohibition on acceptance, disposal and/or processing of any
    12               fluid used in a hydraulic fracturing process.
    13    1. Notwithstanding any provision of law, rule  or  regulation  to  the
    14  contrary,  the  acceptance,  disposal  and/or processing of any drilling
    15  fluids or drill cuttings in this state, when  such  drilling  fluids  or
    16  drill  cuttings  have  been  used  in a hydraulic fracturing process, is
    17  prohibited.
    18    2. For the purposes of this section:
    19    (a) "Drilling fluids" shall  mean  drilling  mud,  chemical  additives
    20  contained in or added to drilling fluids during the hydraulic fracturing
    21  drilling  process, flow back water that returns to the surface after the

    22  hydraulic fracturing process, or any other residual liquids involved  in
    23  drilling.
    24    (b)  "Drill  cuttings" shall mean solid products removed from the well
    25  bore during an oil or gas well drilling operation.
    26    (c) "Hydraulic fracturing" shall mean the fracturing of rock  by  man-
    27  made  fluid-driven  fracturing techniques for the purpose of stimulating
    28  natural gas or oil well production.
    29    § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
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