What's happening
This bill prohibits publicly owned treatment plants from accepting wastewater from high-volume hydraulic fracturing for natural gas, with limited exemptions.
Why it matters
Protects water quality by blocking a major disposal route for fracking wastewater. , which can contain harmful chemicals and naturally occurring contaminants. This helps reduce risks to rivers, lakes, and drinking water sources.
Places stricter limits on how the oil and gas industry can manage its waste in New York. , potentially increasing costs for operators and discouraging the expansion of high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the state.
Creates a high bar for exceptions. Exemptions are only possible if a treatment plant can prove it will discharge zero pollutants or use the most advanced pollution controls available, making exemptions rare and reinforcing the bill’s protective intent.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Ban Fracking Wastewater Dumping
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
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.
Ban Gas Wastewater Dumping
In Senate Committee · Energy And Telecommunications · Sponsor Kevin S. Parker
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
889
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 14, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. L. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT relating to wastewater treatment
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of law, no publicly owned treatment works shall accept wastewater associated with the exploration, delineation, development, or production of natural gas where high-volume hydraulic fracturing is utilized.
§ 2. A publicly owned treatment works may appeal to the department of environmental conservation division of water for an exemption from section one of this act if it can meet a standard of performance that shall permit no discharge of pollutants, or if not feasible, shall reflect the greatest degree of effluent reduction achievable through application of the best available demonstrated control technology, processes, operating methods, or other alternatives.
§ 3. For purposes of this act, "High-volume hydraulic fracturing" or "(HVHF)" means hydraulic fracturing for natural gas extraction using greater than 300,000 gallons of water regardless of whether the well is vertical, directional or horizontal.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03230-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.