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Safe Hydration is an American Right in Energy Development Act of 2021
3/8/2023, 7:58 PM
Summary of Bill HR 2164
The legislation requires energy companies to conduct regular water quality testing in areas where they are operating, and to provide alternative sources of clean drinking water to residents if contamination is found. This is intended to protect the health and well-being of individuals living near energy development sites, who may be at risk of exposure to harmful pollutants.
Additionally, the bill includes provisions for increased transparency and accountability in the energy development industry. Companies will be required to report their water quality testing results to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and make this information available to the public. This will help to ensure that communities are informed about the potential risks associated with energy development activities in their area. Overall, Bill 117 HR 2164 seeks to prioritize the health and safety of individuals living near energy development sites by ensuring access to clean and safe drinking water. By promoting transparency and accountability in the industry, the legislation aims to protect the rights of all Americans to safe hydration.
Congressional Summary of HR 2164
Safe Hydration is an American Right in Energy Development Act of 2021
This bill requires hydraulic fracturing operations to test for and report on underground sources of drinking water that are contaminated by such operations. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a process to extract underground resources such as oil or gas from a geologic formation by injecting water, a propping agent (e.g., sand), and chemical additives into a well under enough pressure to fracture the formation.
Specifically, this bill revises requirements governing state underground injection control programs. In order to obtain primary enforcement responsibility for such programs, states must prohibit the underground injection of fluids or propping agents pursuant to hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities unless the hydraulic fracturing operations agree to test for and report on contamination of drinking water.
Hydraulic fracturing operations are exempted from those testing and reporting requirements if there is no accessible underground source of drinking water within a radius of one mile of the site where the operations occur.
The Environmental Protection Agency must establish and maintain a publicly accessible and searchable database of the testing results.
