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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 11, 2013 11:04 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Phyllis Mundy |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Reintroduction of Legislation: Including “hydraulic fracturing wastewater” in the definition of “hazardous material” (Formerly HB 1741 of the 2011-2012 Legislative Session) |
| I will soon reintroduce legislation to include “hydraulic fracturing waste” in the definition of “hazardous material” in Title 75 (Vehicles) and to require vehicles carrying this waste to be appropriately labeled. I have long been troubled by the natural gas industry’s large truck traffic going through our neighborhoods and the implications for public safety, wear and tear on local roads, and the cost of repairs to municipalities. I have become even more alarmed after several incidents in our Commonwealth where trucks spilled thousands of gallons of fracking wastewater. We know that waste from fracking contains countless potentially dangerous chemicals, including known carcinogens like formaldehyde. What we do not know is what other kind of chemicals are contained in it because the industry is exempt from the Federal Clean Water Act. As a result, natural gas drilling companies are not required to disclose the chemical constituents of fracking fluid because they are considered proprietary. As you know, accidents happen, despite the best of intentions. Not only do I worry about frack waste spillage damaging the environment and contaminating our water, I am concerned for the safety of the truck drivers who transport the waste, the safety of our first responders arriving on the scene of a potential trucking accident, and for the safety of the public at large. Section 8303 of Title 75 (Correspondence with Federal Regulations) empowers the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to promulgate regulations in excess of Federal law or regulations relating to Hazardous Materials Transportation. To that end, the purpose of this bill is not to tell PennDOT how to regulate hazardous materials, but rather to put them on notice that fracking waste is hazardous and dangerous, and that it should be regulated by the department accordingly. Simply put, this bill would require that the drivers of fracking waste transport trucks be held to the highest standard possible, ensure the proper labeling of trucks to alert the public and our first responders of truck contents in case of an accident, and would place the safety of our community before the interests of the drilling industry. PRIOR CO-SPONSORS: Briggs, Fabrizio, Freeman, George, Hornaman, Mirabito, Mullery, Murphy, M. O’Brien, Pashinski, Readshaw, Santarsiero, Staback, Sturla, Wagner, and Youngblood |
Introduced as HB799