They’re at it again – at the behest of their friends in the Oil and Gas Industry, the U.S. House of Representatives will consider several bills related to oil and gas activity.
Your Representative need to hear from you now — they’re voting on these bills this week.
Please urge them to vote no — these bills are a grab bag ofirresponsible provisions that would protect our federal lands less from risky activity, that would put people’s communities and public health at risk and that would stymie scientific research meant to protect precious drinking water sources.
It is important that U.S. House members hear from their constituents. We don’t have to sacrifice our clean water and air, our communities, our public lands and our drinking water sources to unfettered oil and gas activity.
EagleRidge Energy operations in Mansfield, Texas. Taken by Mansfield, Texas resident
- H.R. 2728: Protecting States Right to Promote American Energy Security Act (H.R. 2728 and H.R. 2850 combined) – This bill combines two previous bills into one; both of these bills have been approved by House Committees. The bill removes baseline federal safeguards for oil and gas activity on federal lands, including those protecting drinking water sources and public health. This bill also includes language previously in The EPA Hydraulic Fracturing Study Improvement Act (H.R. 2850. One provision requires EPA to classify the ongoing Congressionally-mandated study of the Potential Impact of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources as a “Highly Influential Scientific Assessment,” a classification which leads to increased peer review and scrutiny. The Study has been classified as such already. More troubling are provisions that could rein in or even halt appropriate research and undermine the quality of the scientific research which EPA is able to conduct.
- H.R. 1965: The Federal Lands Jobs and Energy Security Act (several bills combined) – This package of bills reads like a wish list those who want to expedite oil and gas leasing on federal lands. The provisions are unnecessary and extreme, and set dangerous precedents in terms of reducing oversight in permitting, and blocking communities’ rights to challenge inappropriate and risky activity.
- H.R. 1900: Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act – This bill seeks to speed the approval of interstate natural gas pipelines by placing arbitrary deadlines on federal agencies to review pipeline applications. Forcing expedited review could lead to inadequate environmental analysis of pipeline projects.
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