New York Climate Change Advisory Group :: Interim Report
May 3, 2011
New York Climate Change Advisory Group :: Interim Report. 11.8.2919
Conrad Dan Volz at the DEP’s Advisory Commission Meeting – mary.beilby@gmail.com
April 29, 2011
Conrad Dan Volz at the DEP’s Advisory Commission Meeting –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YepP7139Q0k
Protesters and concerned citizens spoke out against the Marcellus Shale fracking during the DEP’s Advisory Commission Meeting in Harrisburg. Apr. 27, 2011
Coming Clean–Western Org. of Resource Councils 04_20_11
April 26, 2011
Coming_Clean–W e s t e r n O r g a n i z a t i o n o f R e s o u r c e C o u n c i l s 4/20/11
WORC’s principles for measuring the effectiveness of policies for disclosure
of fracking fluids and other chemicals used in oil and gas production. *Coming
Clean *discusses disclosure as an important first step but only a first step
to controlling pollution of our air, land and water and threats to public.
WORC www.worc.org is a regional network of seven grassroots community organizations that include 10,000 members and 45 local chapters. WORC helps its member groups succeed by providing training and coordinating issue work.
Our Member Organizations are:
- Dakota Rural Action
- Dakota Resource Council
- Idaho Rural Council
- Northern Plains Resource Council
- Oregon Rural Action
- Powder River Basin Resource Council
- Western Colorado Congress
WORC’s mission is to advance the vision of a democratic, sustainable, and just society through community action. WORC is committed to building sustainable environmental and economic communities that balance economic growth with the health of people and stewardship of their land, water, and air resources.
2. All chemical constituents used during the entire life cycle of oil and gas exploration and
development must be disclosed — drilling chemicals as well as those used in hydraulic fracturing
and any other methods of well stimulation.
Disclosure of the constituents of hydraulic fracturing has been the subject of most public attention, for
good reasons, but all chemicals used in exploration, drilling and production are of as much concern as
those used in hydraulic fracturing. Several states require recordkeeping and/or reporting of drilling
chemicals, including Colorado, Maryland and Pennsylvania, although this information is not
disclosed to the public in these states.
3. Any protections for proprietary information must be carefully defined, with a clear decision
making process and standard of proof, and must provide for the release of the adverse health
effects of each chemical that is kept secret, release of proprietary information in the event of a
medical necessity, and regular review and appeal of proprietary designations.
Wyoming offers fairly broad protections for proprietary information that have allowed at least nine
companies to keep at least 107 hydraulic fracturing constituents secret from the public. The Arkansas
rules incorporate the trade secret protections in the federal Emergency Planning and Community
Right-to-Know Act, which meets the criteria listed above.
4. Information must be disclosed to the public.
Both Arkansas and Wyoming release reports of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing to the public,
although publication of these reports is not required by statute or rules. Public disclosure should be
required by statue or rule, so that it cannot be rescinded without a legislative change, or at least a
formal rulemaking process.
5. Local landowners must be directly notified of chemical use in advance, with sufficient time before
drilling or stimulation to conduct baseline tests.
Wyoming requires operators to file plans for well stimulation in advance of hydraulic fracturing, and
this information is made available to the public online. Although no state currently requires advance
notice to landowners of chemical use, many states and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management have
statutes or policies requiring notification of landowners before entry and/or surface disturbing
activities. This notification should be expanded to include notification of chemical constituents to be
used.
6. A timely final report must be made after drilling or stimulation, with chemical constituents actually
used, pressures, fracture lengths and heights, the type, source and quantity of fluid used, and the
quantity of fluid recovered.
Both Arkansas and Wyoming require reports after hydraulic fracturing with chemical constituents
used. In Wyoming, pressures used and fluids recovered are required in the completion reports.
The quantity and source of fluids used in well completions is a concern in many areas, particularly
where water supplies are limited and there are multiple uses. Arkansas requires disclosure of the type
and volume of hydraulic fracturing fluid. Wyoming requires detailed information as to the base
stimulation fluid source. New York requires oil and gas operators to submit annual statements showing
the volumes of fluids injected and produced.
7. Reports must be filed on a well-by-well basis.
Both Arkansas and Wyoming require most or all reports on a well-by-well basis.
8. In order to be effective and to earn the confidence of the public, a disclosure program must be
overseen by a regulatory agency with the expertise, resources and authority to monitor and enforce
disclosure requirements, recognize the public health consequences of the chemicals used, and take
action to protect public health and the environment.
Hydraulic fracturing disclosure programs in both Arkansas and Wyoming are overseen by Oil and
Gas Conservation Commissions, which have the primary task of ensuring efficient oil and gas
production. Although some oil and gas commissions are also tasked with protecting public health and
the environment but, as a general rule, expertise on the public health effects of chemicals is more
likely to reside within health departments. And, all of these agencies have limited manpower.
9. Penalties for failure to comply with disclosure requirements should be sufficient to encourage
compliance.
Winsor Compressor Application
April 25, 2011
http://www.dec.ny.gov/enb/20110406_reg7.html#703500010600001
From: Betsy Hohenstein <brhohens@gw.dec.state.ny.us>
Subject: Dunbar Compressor Station Air Permit
To: gerriwiley@yahoo.com
Date: Monday, April 25, 2011, 3:10 PM
Hi Gerri:
Thanks for your call. Please find attached the Draft Air permit to which the Notice refers.
The Air Permit is a Type II action under SEQR under provision 6 NYCRR Part 617 .5 (c) (35), which excludes “actions requiring a certificate of environmental compatibility and public need under articles VII, VII or X of the Public Service Law and in the consideration of, granting or denial of any such certificate; “.
The Article VII Certificate for this case is also attached. The PSC web site is: http://documents.dps.state.ny.us/public/MatterManagement/CaseMaster.aspx?MatterCaseNo=10-T-0350&submit=Search+for+Case%2FMatter+Number
Hope this helps. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of other assistance.
Betsy
Betsy Hohenstein
Environmental Analyst
Division of Environmental Permits
NYSDEC
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233
phone (518) 402-9174
Bans and Moratoria on Hydrofracking 4/25/11 Unofficial list
April 25, 2011 1 Comment
MORATORIA, BANS, RESOLUTIONS
New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland Municipalities and A
Sampling of Key Organizations Opposed to Hydrofrack Drilling
New York State:
* Two legislative bills on hydrofrack drilling are being
considered by New York State. The Assembly bill calls for a 5 year
moratorium while the Senate bill calls for an outright ban.
* NYS Executive Order calling for a drilling moratorium by former
Governor Paterson has been affirmed by Governor Cuomo.
* Yates County resolution unanimously passed calls for similar
protection treatment of their watershed as that in NYC and Syracuse
watersheds.
* The Town of Jerusalem (Yates) at the February public hearing
enacted a moratorium ordinance for their entire township.
* The Town of Milo is drawing up a moratorium statement for board
action.
* Dewitt, Tully, Marcellus and Skaneateles have enacted moratoria
laws.
* Highland, (Sullivan Co) is developing a moratorium statement.
* Buffalo has banned hydrofrack drilling and wastewater disposal in
their city.
* Lumberland (Sullivan Co) is considering a moratorium statement.
* Town of Ulysses is establishing “industrial zones” attempting to
restrict the negative impact of drilling in their water supply.
* Tompkins County has enacted a ban on fracking on county land.
* Broome County: Ban on hydrofracking on county lands. Waste
restrictions for fracking cuttings and flow back water established.
* Ontario County and Onondaga Counties have enacted bans on
fracking on county owned land.
* Ulster County has banned hydrofrack drilling on county owned
lands.
* Gorham in Ontario County enacted a moratorium ordinance.
* The towns that ring Cooperstown’s reservoir, Otsego Lake —
Middlefield, Otsego, Butternuts, Cherry Valley and Springfield — are
moving to ban or restrict natural gas drilling and high-volume
hydraulic fracturing.
* The Medical Society of the State of New York has gone on record
supporting a moratorium on gas drilling using high volume hydraulic
fracturing.
* Cooperstown’s Chamber of Commerce has issued a position
statement supporting a total ban on fracking due to the impact it will
make on their watershed, farming and tourism.
* A group of residents have launched a petition drive designed to
ban the use of high-volume, slickwater hydraulic fracturing in the
Town of Caroline, Tompkins County.
* New York City has called on the US Congress to remove hydrofrack
drilling’s exemption from the Safe Water Drinking Act.
* The Otsego County Planning Board approved changes to
Middlefield’s master plan and zoning law that would specifically
prohibit heavy industry, including gas and oil drilling.
* The Board of Trustees of Bassett Medical Center, based in
Cooperstown, New York, views the issue of hydrofracking as a public
health issue of the highest priority and resolves that the
hydrofracking method of gas drilling constitutes an unacceptable
threat to the health of patients, and should be prohibited until such
time as it is proven to be safe.
* A consortium of interested citizens is planning for a unified
moratorium and eventual ban of hydrofrack drilling in the entire Keuka
Lake watershed region.
* Lebanon town board members adopted a memorializing resolution
that calls on the New York State Legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo
to repeal and reform compulsory integration laws in the State of New
York that currently govern natural gas development.
* A petition drive has resulted in the Dryden Town Board
unanimously passing a resolution to move forward with an ordinance to
ban fracking.
Pennsylvania:
* Pittsburgh bans hydraulic fracturing in their city.
* Luzerne County Lehman Township, ordinance calling for “home rule” and a ban on drilling within their surrounding township area.
* Cresson has enacted legislation banning fracking.
* Washington Township has banned fracking.
* Philadelphia, Pennsylvania City Council unanimously passed the pro-moratorium Resolution on Marcellus Shale Drilling Environmental and Economic Impacts.
* Philadelphia refuses to purchase Marcellus Shale gas as the dumping of flow back waters is polluting their water supply.
New Jersey:
* The New Jersey Senate Environment Committee unanimously passed a bill to ban hydrofrack drilling in the state. The legislators now need to reconcile the Assembly’s Environment Committee’s moratorium
bill with the Senate’s Ban Bill. It will be going to the floor in the
coming months.
Maryland:
* The first community in Maryland, Mountain Lake Park, adopted an ordinance banning corporations from natural gas drilling.
NY, PA, NJ and DE – Delaware River Basin Commission has a moratorium on gas drilling in place in the Watershed located in these 4 states since May 2010 that is running concurrent with the development of natural gas development regulations.
Compiled by Joe Hoff, Chairman KCAH As of April 20, 2011
Assembly members advocate expanded DEC fracking review
April 22, 2011
Assembly members advocate expanded DEC fracking review
By Veronica Lewin
April 21, 2011
Nearly 50 lawmakers want the Department of Environmental Conservation to include newer information in its ongoing review of horizontal hydraulic fracturing before determining whether the controversial natural gas extraction process should be permitted in New York’s Southern Tier.
In an April 13 letter signed by 47 members of the Assembly, both Democrats and Republicans, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is being asked to enhance the scope of oversight policies regarding horizontal hydraulic fracturing.
Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, D-Ithaca, wrote the letter, which was penned two days after the Independent Oil & Gas Association of New York wrote a letter to the governor asking him to remain committed to expediting the release of the DEC’s Marcellus Shale Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement on regulating the expansion of natural gas drilling in the state.
Assemblyman Robert Castelli, one of the lawmakers who signed the letter, says the enhanced oversight policies would ensure the statement includes the necessary information required to determine if horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking, should be permitted in the Marcellus Shale region.
“We must not allow political and economic pressure to cloud the judgment of policymakers when deciding the environmental fate of New York state by whimsically granting gas companies the rights to drill in the Marcellus Shale region,” said Castelli, R-Goldens Bridge. “The stakes are too high. Lawmakers must err on the side of caution to ensure that our drinking water is not contaminated and that fracking poses no severe environmental and health concerns — a determination that can only be made by using good science.”
The lawmakers’ letter is calling for two additions to the DEC’s impact statement, which is expected in June.
The lawmakers y thanked Cuomo for signing a continuation of former Gov. David Paterson’s Executive Order No. 41, which requires a minimum 30-day public comment period on the revisions following the release of the DEC’s impact statement.
The legislators also asked the governor to order the DEC to expand its study to include issues previously omitted, including new data on preventing natural gas drilling wastewater hazards; identifying, assessing, avoiding and mitigating public health threats; conducting a cumulative impact assessment; safeguarding drinking water supply sources and making the state Department of Health a leading partner in the study.
“While some say that drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale region might bring jobs to depressed areas of the state while enhancing New York’s energy production, the environmental hazards that fracking potentially pose are so great that policymakers must have all the information available before determining whether or not to allow horizontal drilling in New York state,” said Castelli.
The assemblyman has also introduced legislation (A.6488) regarding the industrial waste produced by hydraulic fracturing operations. The bill, among other things, would require public sewage treatment plants that accept drilling wastewater to monitor for radioactive elements in the water they discharge. Treatment plants and drinking water intake facilities would have to test for radioactivity at least once every six months.
Hydraulic fracturing permit holders would be required to test for and disclose the amounts and composition of any radioactive material in drilling wastewater to a public sewage treatment plant. These measures would help protect New York’s drinking water. The bill was referred to the Environmental Conservation Committee on March 21 and is part of a 15 bill Earth Day legislative package to be voted on by the Assembly later in the month.
The assemblyman is asking the state to ensure the government does not make a decision on hydraulic fracturing before getting all of the facts.
“As a state, we must not rush this process and should instead allow prudence and science to determine the fate of hydrofracking in New York,” said Castelli. “The gas has been in the ground for 200 million years. It can wait a bit longer.”
In addition to sending the governor a letter, the Independent Oil & Gas Association sent a letter to legislators April 11 asking them to use fact-based analysis when evaluating the future of natural gas development in the state.
“For nearly three years we have promoted that the pending NYS DEC Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement should be thorough and that it should adequately protect the state’s natural resources,” the letter states.
The group stressed its commitment to sharing scientific information to help legislators make an informed decision about natural gas development, as it could provide many benefits to the state.
“Natural gas is the cleanest fossil fuel known to man. It is a solution to reducing our nation’s carbon footprint, and it will greatly improve New York’s and America’s energy independence,” the letter reads.
—
Politics In The Marcellus Shale: Fossil Fools And Fracking | Shaleshock Media
April 20, 2011
Politics In The Marcellus Shale: Fossil Fools And Fracking | Shaleshock Media.
Will upload a file with improved audio next week.
Cornell University. April 19, 2011. Lance Simmens, Special Assistant for Intergovernmental Affairs to former PA Governor Ed Rendell, discusses the political and policy implications of drilling in the Marcellus shale from the perspective of a long-running passion for environmentalism and the social and local impacts of drilling on individuals and the local governments affected. Pennsylvania continues at the forefront of Marcellus shale development, and it seemingly raises more questions than answers. This interactive discussion is intended to focus on the politics of the issue and where we go from here. Assisting with the discussion will be Josh Fox, a Pennsylvania resident, and Director of the well-known documentary, GASLAND. Event Type Seminar Department
NJDEP seeks strong natural gas drilling regulations to protect Delaware River from pollution | Science updates | NewJerseyNewsroom.com — Your State. Your News.
April 17, 2011
NJDEP seeks strong natural gas drilling regulations to protect Delaware River from pollution
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Wants no more than 300 ‘fracking’ wells in New York and Pennsylvania
New Jersey wants strong regulations enacted to protect the water supply and natural resources of the Delaware River from any potential negative impacts of natural gas development projects in neighboring states, and is seeking a strict limit to the initial number of production wells, Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin stated in formal comments sent Friday to the Delaware River Basin Commission.
Martin said he recognizes the contributions to the economy and to energy security that development of natural gas resources may make to New York, Pennsylvania and the nation, but added the DRBC, in its effort to create regulations, must move with caution to ensure there is no threat to New Jersey’s drinking water or environment from projects that employ a hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” process.
“We will vigilantly ensure that our water is adequately protected and the natural values of the basin are preserved,” Martin wrote. “We will insist that natural gas regulations, as ultimately promulgated by the DRBC, guarantee the supply and quality of the Delaware River water, on which New Jersey relies for up to one-quarter of our drinking water.”
Once regulations are adopted, New Jersey wants the DRBC to stage the approval of well pads. Martin stated the DRBC should allow no more than 30 production well pads, not to exceed 300 production wells in total, in the two years immediately following adoption of its regulations. He stated the DRBC then should conduct an extensive study to assess the impact of the initial wells and the effectiveness of its regulations before any further drilling could occur.
Martin said New Jersey also remains concerned with wastewater discharges from fracking operations, and wants safeguards in place, particularly for unregulated contaminants, to ensure wastewater does not negatively impact the river basin. He said the state will not agree to any discharge of fracking wastewater until it can be proven that such discharges are not harmful to water quality.
“While protecting the water supply and quality in the basin is paramount, New Jersey recognizes the significant positive economic impact that the development of this natural gas resource will have on the DRBC states,” Martin wrote.
“We also recognize the important role that the development of Marcellus Shale natural gas plays in the energy security of the United States and as a cleaner fuel source than coal or oil,” Martin continued.
“But New Jersey believes it is imperative that the DRBC move cautiously when authorizing the development of natural gas in the basin,” Martin added. “We must work toward guaranteeing that the environmental integrity of the Delaware River Basin is forever protected.”
New Jersey wants proper management and disposal of the waste material derived from the fracking process, that sources of water from the basin required for the extraction activity be sustainable, and evidence that water diversions would not cause adverse impacts to other water users or the environment.
“Without these conditions in place, natural gas development activities in the Delaware River Basin will be unacceptable,” Martin wrote.
Hydraulic fracturing uses high volumes of water mixed with small amounts of sand and chemical compounds to extract natural gas locked within the shale. New drilling and extraction techniques have renewed interest by energy development companies in drilling for natural gas deposits trapped within the Marcellus formation, which is estimated to contain enough natural gas to meet U.S. demand for decades.
While no drilling would occur in New Jersey, as many as 10,000 wells could be drilled in the Delaware River Basin in Pennsylvania and New York.
The DRBC, whose members include the four Delaware River Basin states – New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware – plus the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has legal authority over both water quality and water quantity issues throughout the basin. The commission has proposed natural gas development rules that are now the subject of public comments, which will be accepted through Friday.
To see the full text of Commissioner Martin’s formal comments to the DRBC, visit: http://www.nj.gov/dep/docs/collier-drbc20110414.pdf
For information on the DRBC’s public comment process, visit: http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/newsrel_naturalgas030211.htm
— TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
Drilling bills queued up in committee | Denton Record Chronicle | News for Denton County, Texas | Local News
April 17, 2011
 |
Drilling bills queued up in committee
12:35 AM CDT on Sunday, April 17, 2011
Area legislators have introduced more than 30 bills in the state’s 82nd regular session in relation to shale gas drilling and production. With a few exceptions, most bills are still in committee.
More than 20 of the bills attempt some degree of change in the regulations — from a small change in current legislation to an overhaul of the Texas Railroad Commission. Some bills would protect the industry from more restrictive environmental rules. Several bills seek to address air quality issues, while another handful of bills address property rights issues that have come under stress with the drilling boom.
In the case of SB 655, abolishing the Texas Railroad Commission, a new agency would be created with its powers and duties — the Texas Oil and Gas Commission. The elected governing body would be reduced from three commissioners to one.
The last day for House committees to consider legislation is May 9. The last day for the Senate committees is May 27.
Regulatory reform
Two Democratic legislators from Fort Worth, Sen. Wendy Davis and Rep. Lon Burnam, were active in filing drilling-related bills. Most haven’t gained traction.
Burnam filed bills to give cities more authority over gas pipelines, prevent drilling within 1,200 feet of public schools, and impose a fee on drilling waste sent to commercial injection wells to pay for an oilfield cleanup fund. All are pending in committee.
He is awaiting hearings on other bills, including one requiring many condensate tanks to be equipped with vapor recovery units.
Burnam said bills that would better regulate the industry face an uphill battle before the House’s Energy Resources Committee. They also face intense pushback from industry lobbyists, he said.
“For over 100 years now, the oil and gas industry has in large measure controlled the state government,” Burnam said. “Especially in a committee like this, they are disproportionately influential.”
Davis filed multiple drilling-related bills that are awaiting hearings before the Senate’s Natural Resources Committee. They include tighter restrictions on gas vapor releases, commercial disposal wells and pipelines, and more protections for residents of some unincorporated areas.
Another bill would require companies to use a unique “tracer” fluid in the liquid they use for hydraulic fracturing, a controversial practice that involves pumping millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals underground to break up rock and free gas. The bill would protect the industry from false claims of groundwater pollution and help settle costly legal disputes between drillers and landowners, Davis said in a February news release announcing the bill.
She was unavailable for comment Friday.
Two bills introduced by Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Denton, have already been approved in the Energy Committee, and should clean up unintended problems with new legislation passed last session, according to her chief of staff, Kevin Cruser.
Burnam, Crownover and Rep. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound, have also signed onto HB 3328, known as the fracking disclosure bill, which is being carried by the committee chairman, Rep. Jim Keffer, R-Eastland.
The bill would require operators to disclose the chemicals being used when they hydraulically fracture a well. Some constituents have significant reservations about the bill, Cruser said.
“We’ve got some work to do on that,” he said.
Some fracking companies, namely Halliburton and FracTec, have publicly opposed the bill. While many environmental groups, such as the Environmental Defense Fund and the Sierra Club, endorse the bill, others have opposed the bill’s provision for trade secrets, calling for full disclosure.
Industry representatives testified to the committee that they need a trade-secrets provision.
A new law in Arkansas was touted as a full-disclosure bill even though it had a trade-secrets clause, according to Donna Adolph of Arkansans for Oil and Gas Accountability.
To apply for the exemption, operators need only fill out a half-page check-off sheet, Adolph said, adding that the burden of proof will move to another arena but falls on the same affected parties as before.
“The burden is on us to prove it’s not a trade secret, and not the other way around,” Adolph said.
New language added to the Texas bill puts forth specific criteria for trade secrets so that it doesn’t become a loophole later, according to Scott Anderson of the Environmental Defense Fund. Operators must submit their claim that meets established criteria under both state law and the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.
If the trade-secret provision is not preserved, it diminishes the incentive and opportunity for industry to make innovations for “greener” formulas for fracking, Anderson said.
The Texas Legislature knows the world is watching this bill, Anderson said, and that the onus is upon it to set a national precedent.
Resident lobbyists
Adolph said her group had a chance to look at the Arkansas bill in November and, made up of residents, was given the chance to provide feedback, including warning legislators that the trade-secret provision weakened the bill.
Flower Mound resident Ginger Simonson said she feels residents can be effective tools for change, even when up against well-funded industry lobbyists.
“When large numbers of the voting public start saying the same thing, it’s more important to listen,” Simonson said. “Even a good official, if they are nonresponsive, can be kicked out of office.”
Simonson, active in the overturn of a mayor and two council members last year, continues to be active in local elections this year. But she has also turned her attention to state legislation.
Recently, she asked her friends and neighbors to urge support for HB 3792, which preserves a city’s ability to regulate pipelines inside its municipal limits and gives it more authority over regulating compressors.
“The government closest to the voter is the most accountable,” Simonson said. “The voters have the best chance of getting good laws — the most protective laws — from the people we see every day.”
PEGGY HEINKEL-WOLFE can be reached at 940-566-6881. Her e-mail address is pheinkel-wolfe@dentonrc.com.
LOWELL BROWN can be reached at 940-566-6882. His e-mail address is lmbrown@dentonrc.com.
SHALE BILLS INTRODUCED IN THE 82ND LEGISLATURE
Most bills meant to address problems with shale gas development or the agencies that regulate the industry are currently pending in committee unless otherwise noted.
Regulatory reform
HB 1124 — Safety requirements for gas pipelines in certain counties
HB 1125 — Provides for study of odorant in gathering and transmission pipelines in populated areas
HB 1556 — Provides setback of 1,200 feet between a public school and any well site
HB 2001 — Relating to the exemption or tax reduction for certain high-cost gas (referred to Ways & Means)
HB 2125 — Gives priority to oil and gas well inspections for certain counties
HB 2126 — Provides for fines for certain violations in certain counties
HB 2289 — Allows gas companies to use public rights of way (amended and approved by committee)
HB 2987 — Establishes an account for emissions monitoring in certain counties (referred to Environmental Regulation)
HB 3134 — “Death penalty” for operators that fail to plug inactive oil or gas wells
HB 3212 — Imposes fee on commercial injection of oil and gas waste (scheduled for public hearing)
HB 3460 — Requires oil and gas well logs to be filed with the state
HB 3792 — Provides for municipal authority in regulating pipelines inside city limits
HB 3328 — Disclosure of composition of hydraulic fracturing fluids
SB 103 — Requirements for installing, maintaining, operating and relocating wastewater pipeline facilities (referred to Natural Resources)
SB 105 — Restricts commercial injection disposal to certain formations (referred to Natural Resources)
SB 107 — Regulates repair of natural gas pipeline leaks (referred to Natural Resources)
SB 655 — Abolishes the Railroad Commission of Texas and transfers powers and duties to a new entity, the Texas Oil and Gas Commission (scheduled for public hearing)
SB 745 — Regulates saltwater pipelines (referred to Natural Resources)
SB 772 — Requires tracers in hydraulic fracturing (referred to Natural Resources)
SB 1049 — Disclosure of composition of hydraulic fracturing fluids (referred to Natural Resources)
SB 1041 — Provides for location of Railroad Commission hearings (referred to Natural Resources)
SB 1869 — Provides for fines for Railroad Commission (referred to Finance)
SB 1873 — Creates a well inspection fund (referred to Natural Resources)
Property rights
SB 106 — Condemnation of municipal property for pipelines (referred to Natural Resources)
SB 875 — Provides a defense from nuisance or trespass prosecution arising from greenhouse gas emissions when operator is in compliance with state and federal environmental permits
SB 1633 — Rules for gas exploration and production in unincorporated areas (referred to Natural Resources)
SB 1870 — Regulates mineral interest pooling (referred to Natural Resources)
Air quality monitoring
HB 2694 — Continues the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (amended and approved by committee
HB 3110 — Requires the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to perform a regulatory impact analysis before creating new standards for the oil and gas industry under the permit by rule or standard permit programs (approved out of committee)
HB 1126 — Emissions control for crude oil and condensate storage tanks in certain areas (referred to Environmental Regulation)
HB 3066 — Regulates air contaminant emissions from oil and gas wells (referred to Environmental Regulation)
SB 104 — Restricts venting of natural gas wells (referred to Natural Resources)
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