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Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 5
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to environmental conservation
- Referred to environmental conservation
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Prohibits the use of wastewater from high-volume hydraulic fracturing for road and land spreading
In Assembly Committee · Environmental Conservation · Sponsor Linda Rosenthal
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:S4314
Title of bill
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to prohibiting the use of wastewater for road and land spreading
Purpose
To prohibit the use of wastewater for road and land spreading.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 defines "flowback fluid," "high-volume hydraulic fracturing," and "production brine" or "produced water."
Section 2 prohibits the use of wastewater associated with high-volume hydraulic fracturing for the purpose of road and land spreading.
Section 3 provides the effective date.
Justification
Production brine, or produced water, contains high concentrations of salts that make it a useful agent for de-icing and dust control. Production brine, however, also has properties that raise public health concerns. The department notes in the draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement that production brine may contain elevated concentrations of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), such as radium and its decay products. The department further states that activities with the potential to concentrate NORM need to come under regulatory oversight to ensure adequate protection of workers, the general public and the environment. Moreover, independent testing has identified increased levels of hydrocarbons such as benzene in production brine from drilling operations in the Marcellus Shale.
In recognition of the potential health impacts from releasing production brine into the environment, this legislation will prohibit its use for road and land spreading. This legislation further prohibits the use of flowback water, which contains high concentrations of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, for these purposes as well.
Legislative history
2013-14:S. 4656 Environmental Conservation / A. 9039 Environmental Conservation 2011-12:S. 6895 Finance / No Same As
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.