Senator Jackson and Assemblymember Williams Introduce Fracking Bills
New bills would regulate waste water and force companies to monitor groundwater quality
State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) has just introduced Senate Bill 395, a bill to regulate the waste water produced from fracking. Jackson’s Senate Bill 395 would require that any fluids brought up during the fracking process be regulated as a hazardous waste by the Department of Toxic Substances Control, giving them the authority to ensure that the appropriate precautions are taken in how the waste water is transported and disposed.
“Given the potential threat to our drinking water supplies, our public health, and our environment, we need to make sure there is proper oversight of the potentially toxic chemical brew that’s produced from fracking,” said Jackson.
State Assemblymember Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara) has introduced AB 982, which will require companies fracking for oil and gas in California to monitor ground water near their operations. The proposed legislation requires monitoring of groundwater quality both before and after any fracking.
“The oil and gas industry wants to greatly expand its presence in California, in my district and others,” Williams said. “We need to make sure their operations don’t compromise our critical groundwater supplies.”
Fracking has been minimally regulated in California, with no required disclosure of chemicals used or locations of fracking drill sites. The Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources has released the first draft of regulations on hydraulic fracturing, yet does not intend to require monitoring of groundwater quality.
A report submitted to the State Legislature by the State Water Board on February 4 indicates that more than 30 million Californians rely upon groundwater for all or part of their water supplies. Such heavy dependence on groundwater for drinking water and irrigation calls for its protection to be a top priority. AB 982 follows proposals from other states, such as Alaska, Colorado and Wyoming, yet would set a new standard for groundwater protection from fracking in California.
“The oil and gas industry has been drilling in California near and through underground sources of drinking and irrigation water for decades and contends that their operations have caused no harm,” said Miriam Gordon, California Director of Clean Water Action, the primary sponsor of Williams’ bill. “Without monitoring, it’s like putting on a blindfold and saying you don’t see a problem. We applaud Assembly Member Williams for this sensible solution.”
During fracking, water, sand and chemical additives are injected under pressure to fracture the shale reservoir, which increases the flow of oil and gas. Though a comparatively small amount of chemicals are part of the injected fluids, they have the potential to be dangerously toxic. Twenty-nine of the most commonly used hydraulic fracturing chemicals are known carcinogens.
“I see my legislative efforts as complementary to those of Assemblymember Williams,” said Jackson. “When it comes to fracking, the safety and health of Californians, and the impact on the environment, should be our first, last, and most fundamental concerns.”