Offshore Fracking Transparency and Review Act of 2015
This bill prohibits both hydraulic fracturing and acid well stimulation treatment in the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf Region until the Secretary of the Interior has: (1) reported to Congress on the conduct and impacts of hydraulic fracturing and acid well stimulation treatments in the Region; and (2) issued, in coordination with the Environmental Protection Agency, a final environmental impact statement regarding the impacts upon the marine environment and public health of offshore hydraulic fracturing and acid well stimulation treatments conducted in such Region.
The Secretary must notify all relevant state and local regulatory agencies and publish in the Federal Register within 30 days: (1) receipt of any application for a permit that would allow either offshore hydraulic fracturing or acid well stimulation treatment in the Region; and (2) the conduct of offshore hydraulic fracturing or acid well stimulation treatment in the Region pursuant to a permit or other authorization issued by the Secretary.
The Secretary shall also maintain and publicize a list of all offshore hydraulic fracturing and acid well stimulation treatments that have taken place in the Region or that take place after enactment of this Act.
[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1951 Introduced in House (IH)]
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1951
To prohibit the use of hydraulic fracturing or acid well stimulation
treatment in the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf Region until the
Secretary of the Interior prepares an environmental impact statement
and conducts a study with respect to such practices, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 22, 2015
Mrs. Capps introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To prohibit the use of hydraulic fracturing or acid well stimulation
treatment in the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf Region until the
Secretary of the Interior prepares an environmental impact statement
and conducts a study with respect to such practices, 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 ``Offshore Fracking Transparency and
Review Act of 2015''.
SEC. 2. MORATORIUM ON OFFSHORE FRACTURING AND ACID WELL STIMULATION
TREATMENT.
Notwithstanding the terms of any lease or permit issued before the
date of the enactment of this Act, no person may engage in hydraulic
fracturing or acid well stimulation treatment in the Pacific Outer
Continental Shelf Region until the Secretary of the Interior has
published a report under section 3 and issued a final environmental
impact statement under section 4.
SEC. 3. STUDY OF CONDUCT AND IMPACTS OF HYDRAULIC FRACTURING AND ACID
WELL STIMULATION IN THE PACIFIC OCS REGION.
(a) In General.--To ensure the relevant agencies' data incorporate
the latest science and practices of the oil and gas industry, the
Secretary of the Interior shall conduct a study of the conduct and
impacts of hydraulic fracturing and acid well stimulation treatments in
the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf Region.
(b) Included Topics.--The study shall include, but shall not be
limited to--
(1) preparation of a descriptive inventory of all chemicals
used in offshore oil and gas development and production
activities in the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf Region,
including chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing and acid well
stimulation treatments;
(2) the volumes of chemicals used and disposed of in such
activities;
(3) the risks of a spill of such chemicals;
(4) an analysis of the methods by which such chemicals
enter the environment during hydraulic fracturing and acid well
stimulation treatments;
(5) a quantification, to the extent possible, of the amount
of such chemicals that enter the environment during hydraulic
fracturing and acid well stimulation treatments; and
(6) any other related matters the Secretary determines
necessary.
(c) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress and
publish a report on the study conducted under this section.
SEC. 4. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT.
Not later than 18 months after the issuance of the report under
section 3, the Secretary of the Interior shall, in coordination with
the Environmental Protection Agency and in consultation with
appropriate State agencies, issue an environmental impact statement
under section 102 of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4332) regarding the impacts on the marine environment and public
health of offshore hydraulic fracturing and acid well stimulation
treatments conducted in the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf Region.
SEC. 5. PUBLIC NOTICE.
The Secretary shall notify all relevant State and local regulatory
agencies and publish a notice in the Federal Register--
(1) within 30 days after receiving any application for a
permit that would allow the conduct of offshore hydraulic
fracturing or an acid well stimulation treatment in the Pacific
Outer Continental Shelf Region; and
(2) within 30 days after the conduct of offshore hydraulic
fracturing or acid well stimulation treatment in such region
under a permit or other authorization issued by the Secretary.
SEC. 6. COMPILATION AND DISCLOSURE OF ACTIVITIES.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior shall compile and
maintain a list of all offshore hydraulic fracturing and acid well
stimulation treatments that have taken place, or that take place after
the enactment of this Act, in the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf
Region.
(b) Included Information.--For each instance of offshore hydraulic
fracturing or an acid well stimulation treatment, the Secretary shall
include on the list--
(1) the date the offshore hydraulic fracturing or acid well
stimulation treatment was conducted;
(2) the location where the offshore hydraulic fracturing or
acid well stimulation treatment was conducted;
(3) the chemicals used, including identification of the
chemical constituents of mixtures, Chemical Abstracts Service
numbers for each chemical and constituent, material safety data
sheets if available, and the amount of each chemical used;
(4) the total volume of fluid used in the hydraulic
fracturing or acid well stimulation treatment;
(5) the volume of wastewater generated during the hydraulic
fracturing or acid well stimulation treatment and the manner in
which it was disposed of; and
(6) the intended purpose and results of the offshore
hydraulic fracturing or acid well stimulation treatments.
(c) Unavailable Information.--If any information listed in
subsection (b) is not available for a given instance of offshore
hydraulic fracturing or acid well stimulation treatment, the Secretary
shall note the absence of the information and provide an explanation of
why the information is not available.
(d) Public Availability.--The Secretary shall make the list created
under subsection (b) available to the public, including by publishing
it on the Internet site of the Department of the Interior.
SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Hydraulic fracturing.--The term ``hydraulic
fracturing'' means an operation conducted in an individual
wellbore designed to increase the flow of hydrocarbons from a
rock formation to the wellbore through modifying the
permeability of reservoir rock by fracturing it, except that
such term does not include enhanced secondary recovery,
including water flooding, tertiary recovery, and other types of
well stimulation operations.
(2) Acid well stimulation treatment.--The term ``acid well
stimulation treatment''--
(A) means a well stimulation treatment that uses,
in whole or in part, the application of one or more
acids to the well or underground geologic formation;
and
(B) includes--
(i) such stimulation treatment at any
applied pressure or in combination with
hydraulic fracturing treatments or other well
stimulation treatments;
(ii) acid treatments conducted at pressures
lower than the applied pressure necessary to
fracture the underground geologic formation
(commonly referred to as acid matrix
stimulation treatments); and
(iii) acid fracturing treatments.
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Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
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