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Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 40
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Recommit, enacting clause stricken
- Referred to environmental conservation
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:S3875
Title of bill
An act to suspend hydraulic fracturing; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
Purpose or general idea of bill
The purpose of this bill is to prohibit the issuance of new gas and/or oil permits for well drilling that involves hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking).
Summary of specific provisions
This bill would suspend, until June 1, 2014, the issuance of new permits for the drilling of a well that would utilize the practice of hydraulic fracturing for the purpose of stimulating natural gas or oil in low permeability natural gas reservoirs such as the Marcellus and Utica shale formations.
Justification
The potential development of natural gas drilling in low permeability natural gas reservoirs such as the Marcellus and Utica Shale formations has led to robust debate regarding the safety of the process and the protection of the environment.
Delaying the Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) ability to issue permits until June 1, 2014, will provide the Legislature with additional time to assess the true environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing. This bill will also help ensure the Legislature has adequate time to review DEC's Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DSGEIS) once it is produced.
Gas drilling carries with it the risk of accidents, including spills and blow-outs. There are also impacts on the communities in which shale gas production is located including increased traffic, noise and habitat destruction; however, one of the biggest concerns is water safety. The large withdrawals of water required for hydrofracking could disrupt surface and ground water ecosystems. In addition, improper management of drilling and hydrofracking chemicals and drilling waste could pollute surface water and/or groundwater.
Given the complexities of the environmental and policy issues under consideration, there is an urgent need for an extension of the suspension of the permitting process involving hydraulic fracturing. Such a moratorium will allow for a thorough, deliberate and unrushed analysis of all of the factors involved.
Prior legislative history
01/18/12 Referred to environmental conservation.
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately and shall be deemed repealed on December 31, 2014.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.