| HOUSE AMENDED |
| PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 1102, 1246, 1391, 1445 | PRINTER'S NO. 1842 |
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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| SENATE BILL |
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| INTRODUCED BY BAKER, ARGALL, COSTA, ERICKSON, FOLMER, FONTANA, KASUNIC, ORIE, RAFFERTY, SCARNATI, SCHWANK, WASHINGTON, YUDICHAK, FARNESE, BROWNE AND MENSCH, APRIL 25, 2011 |
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| AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, DECEMBER 7, 2011 |
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| AN ACT |
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1 | Amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania |
2 | Consolidated Statutes, in Commonwealth services, requiring |
3 | that the operator of each permitted unconventional oil and | <-- |
4 | gas well wells within Pennsylvania post certain 911 response | <-- |
5 | information at the entrance to each unconventional well site. | <-- |
6 | The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
7 | hereby enacts as follows: |
8 | Section 1. Title 35 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated |
9 | Statutes is amended by adding a section to read: |
10 | § 7321. Unconventional oil and gas well 911 emergency response | <-- |
11 | information. |
12 | (a) Emergency regulations.--The agency and the Department of |
13 | Environmental Protection shall adopt emergency regulations |
14 | directing the operators of all unconventional gas and oil wells | <-- |
15 | within this Commonwealth to do all of the following: |
16 | (1) Adopt a unique GPS coordinate address for each |
17 | unconventional gas or oil well at both the access road | <-- |
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1 | entrance and wellpad site. |
2 | (2) Register that address with the agency, the |
3 | Department of Environmental Protection and the county |
4 | emergency management organization within the county where the |
5 | unconventional gas or oil well is located. | <-- |
6 | (3) Require the development of an emergency response |
7 | plan and file that plan with the agency, the Department of |
8 | Environmental Protection and the county emergency management |
9 | organization with jurisdiction over the unconventional gas or | <-- |
10 | oil well. The county shall disseminate the GPS address and |
11 | emergency response plan to the local emergency management |
12 | organization in which the unconventional gas or oil well is | <-- |
13 | located. |
14 | (4) Post a reflective sign at the entrance to each |
15 | unconventional well site with the specific address of that | <-- |
16 | site, the coordinates for the site, the emergency contact |
17 | number for the operator and such other information as the |
18 | agency or the Department of Environmental Protection deems |
19 | necessary. |
20 | (b) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following |
21 | words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this |
22 | subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise: |
23 | "Unconventional oil or gas well." A bore hole drilled or | <-- |
24 | being drilled for the purpose of or to be used for producing oil |
25 | or gas from a geological formation existing below the base of |
26 | the Elk Sandstone or its geologic equivalent stratigraphic |
27 | interval where oil or gas generally cannot be produced at |
28 | economic flow rates or in economic volumes except by vertical or |
29 | horizontal well bores stimulated by hydraulic fracture |
30 | treatments or by using multilateral well bores or other |
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1 | techniques to expose more of the formation of the well bore. |
2 | "Unconventional formation." A geological shale formation | <-- |
3 | existing below the base of the Elk Sandstone or its geologic |
4 | equivalent stratigraphic interval where natural gas generally |
5 | cannot be produced at economic flow rates or in economic volumes |
6 | except by vertical or horizontal well bores stimulated by: |
7 | (1) hydraulic fracture treatments; |
8 | (2) using multilateral well bores; or |
9 | (3) other techniques to expose more of the formation of |
10 | the well bore. |
11 | "Unconventional well." A bore hole drilled or being drilled |
12 | for the purpose of or to be used for the production of natural |
13 | gas from an unconventional formation. |
14 | Section 2. Regulations promulgated under 35 Pa.C.S. § 7321 |
15 | shall apply to both new and existing unconventional gas and oil |
16 | wells within this Commonwealth. |
17 | Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately. |
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