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Rogers/4SenatorArauzo,D.S.R._____

ABILL
TomaketheuseofHydraulicFracturing(fracking)illegalintheUnitedStates.

BeitenactedbytheSenateandHouseofRepresentativesoftheUnitedStatesofAmericainCongressassembled,

SECTION1.SHORTTITLE
ThisactmaybecitedastheFrackingActof2015.

SECTION2.FINDINGS
1)ProPublicareportsthatdrinkingwaternearfrackingwellshavebeenfoundtohavelevelsofmethanethatfell
squarelywithintherangethattheU.S.DepartmentofInteriorsaysisdangerousandrequiresurgenthazard
mitigationaction.
2)In2000,therewereabout276,000naturalgaswellsintheUnitedStates.Butby2010,thatnumberhadalmost
doubledto510,000,accordingtothe
U.S.DepartmentofEnergy
(DOE).Andeveryyear,about13,000newwellsare
drilled.Accordingtoa2014astudy,
atleast15.3millionAmericans
havelivedwithinamileofafrackingwellthat
hasbeendrilledsince2000.
3)Stillbirthsandotherreproductiveproblemsincattleinareasofhydraulicfrackinghavebeendocumentedinthe
scientificliterature.
4)Millionsofwellshavebeenhydraulicallyfracturedwithmanyinstancesofprovendrinkingwatercontamination.
5)Someofthechemicalscontainedinfrackingfluidaretoxic,andoncethefluidreturnstothesurfacethereare
problemsassociatedwithitsstorageandultimatedisposal.
6)Millionsofgallonsofwatermixedwithsandandchemicalsarethenblastedintothebedrock,thepressurecreating
cracksthatreleasetrappednaturalgasfromthetable.
7)Peoplelivingwithinahalfmileoffrackingandothergasdrillingoperationshaveanincreasedriskofhealth
problems,includingcancerfrombenzeneemissions.
8)StudybyDukeUniversitylinkedmethaneinpeoplesdrinkingwaterwellstogasdrillingoperationsin
surroundingareas.
9)Detailedtechnicalinvestigationsandindependentreviewshowedthatthetremorswereprobablycausedwhen
frackfluidsflowedintoageologicalfault,acrackrunningthroughoneormorelayersoftheundergroundrocks.
10)Casesofgroundwatercontaminationanddrinkingwatercontaminationthatareifnotbroughtonentirelyby
naturalgasproduction,wereexacerbatedbyitnotjustmethane,butothercontaminantsaswell.
11)FrackingisexemptfromsomeoftherequirementsoftheSafeDrinkingWaterAct,particularlytherequirement
todisclosethechemicalsusedinwellinjections.
12)Wyoming,MichiganandTexashaveregulationsrequiringfulldisclosureofthechemicalsusedinfracking.
13)Proposedregulationsthatcontrolsomeportionofthefrackingindustryarenowmovingthroughthelegislatures
ofstateswherefrackingisalargeandgrowingindustry.
14)TheAnnualEnergyOutlook2012predictsthattheonlycountrysamplesupplyofshalegaswillaccountfor
nearlyhalfofthenaturalgasproducedintheU.S.by2035.
15)In2012,researchersfromtheColoradoSchoolofPublicHealthreleasedastudyshowingthatairpollution
causedbyfrackingcouldcontributetoimmediateandlongtermhealthproblemsforpeoplelivingnearfrackingsites.

SECTION3.STATUTORYLANGUAGE
A)HydraulicFracturing(fracking)shallherebybeillegal.Frackingshallbeoutlawedasillegalinall50states.
Violationsofthislaw,shallbesubjecttoafivemilliondollarfinefortheinfraction.
B)ThislawistobeimplementedandenforcedbytheDepartmentofEnergyaswellastheEnvironmentalProtection
Agency(EPA).Thefundingisherebysetatonemilliondollarsallocatedbyincreasingthehighesttaxbracket.This
provisionisunaffectedbyanyfederallawwhatsoever.
C)Thefeeshalldoubleifthefeeisnotpaidwithinsixmonthsoftheviolation.Ifitisnotpaidwithinthisperiod,the
FederalgovernmentshallpenalizeallHydraulicFracturingcompanies.TheFrackingActshallbeenactedonJanuary
1,2016.Thereisnoexpirationdateforthisbill.