Close Pollution Loopholes for Fracking

It's hard to go a day without hearing something in the news about the consequences of the oil and gas drilling rush across the United States.

The rush is due in part to the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking—in which drillers blast millions of gallons of chemically treated water into the ground to force out the oil and gas. But the drilling boom has also been sped along by industry deregulation.

Thanks to exemptions from our bedrock environmental laws, oil and gas drilling operations don't have to follow the same rules as everyone else. Three bills introduced in Congress would change this.

The FRESHER Act would eliminate a Clean Water Act exemption that allows oil and gas to sidestep the same stormwater runoff permitting requirements that every other industry meets. The BREATHE Act would eliminate an unfair loophole in the Clean Air Act for oil and gas companies. The FRAC Act would require oil and gas companies to disclose the toxic chemicals used in fracking, and would close a special interest loophole in the Safe Drinking Water Act to ensure our groundwater is protected.

We need your help to restore these fundamental protections to the oil and gas industry.

It's time for Congress to stand up to industry and stand up for public health. Please ask your member of Congress to support the FRESHER, BREATHE, and FRAC Acts!

SHOW MORE

Important Notices and Resources

By taking action, you will receive emails from Earthjustice. Learn more on our Privacy Policy.

The FRESHER Act (H.R. 1175) The BREATHE Act (H.R. 1154) The FRAC Act (H.R. 1921)

YOUR MESSAGE

Please Support the BREATHE, FRESHER, and FRAC Acts

Dear Representative,



I write today to urge you to support H.R. 1154, the Bringing Reductions to Energy's Airborne Toxic Health Effects (BREATHE) Act; H.R. 1175, the Focused Reduction of Effluence and Stormwater runoff through Hydrofracking Environmental Regulation (FRESHER) Act; and H.R. 1921, the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act. These bills seek to close loopholes that the oil and gas industry has secured that allow them to play by different rules than other industries.

The FRESHER Act would close a Clean Water Act loophole and hold oil and gas companies to the same standards as other industries and require them to obtain storm water runoff permits for construction and drilling activities. In addition, the bill directs regulators to study the effects of storm water runoff from fracking operations on public lands. Both drilling and building infrastructure to support drilling cause significant amounts of erosion and sedimentation of streams. This can lead to pollution of surface water, harm to aquatic habitat, and increased costs for local water infrastructure.

The BREATHE Act would restore Clean Air Act protections for communities within areas of heavy oil and gas drilling activity. Right now, many oil and gas wells fall squarely within a loophole in the Clean Air Act that means they don't have to control their air pollution as carefully as larger industrial sources--even though the cumulative air pollution from all of these thousands of wells can be far greater than individual 'major sources.'

The FRAC Act would do two things: require oil and gas companies to disclose the chemicals they use in hydraulic fracturing to the public, and close a Safe Drinking Water Act loophole that exempts this industry from regulation by the EPA's Underground Injection Control program. Closing this loophole would enable the Safe Drinking Water Act to protect drinking water supplies from toxic fracking chemicals.

As your constituent, I urge your support of this legislation, which restores crucial clean air and water protections at a time when this country is undergoing an unprecedented gas drilling boom. The millions of Americans whose air and water are at risk are depending on you.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[City, State ZIP]

YOUR INFORMATION

*Required fields