THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE BILL

INTRODUCED BY BAKER, ARGALL, COSTA, ERICKSON, FOLMER, FONTANA, KASUNIC, ORIE, RAFFERTY, SCARNATI, SCHWANK, WASHINGTON, YUDICHAK, FARNESE, BROWNE AND MENSCH, APRIL 25, 2011

AS AMENDED ON THIRD CONSIDERATION, IN SENATE, JUNE 27, 2011   

AN ACT

Amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania

Consolidated Statutes, in Commonwealth services, requiring

that the operator of each permitted unconventional oil and

gas well within Pennsylvania post certain 911 response

information at the entrance to each well site.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Title 35 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated

Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:

§ 7321.  Unconventional oil and gas well 911 emergency response

information.

The (a)  Emergency regulations.--The agency and the

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Department of Environmental Protection shall adopt emergency

regulations directing the operators of all unconventional gas

and oil wells within this Commonwealth to do all of the

following:

(1)  Adopt a unique GPS coordinate address for each

unconventional gas or oil well at both the access road

entrance and wellpad site.

(2)  Register that address with the agency, the

Department of Environmental Protection and the county 

emergency management organization within the county where the 

unconventional gas or oil well is located.

(3)  Require the development of an emergency response

plan and file that plan with the agency, the Department of

Environmental Protection and the county emergency management

organization with jurisdiction over the unconventional gas or

oil well. The county shall disseminate the GPS address and

emergency response plan to the local emergency management

organization in which the unconventional gas or oil well is

located.

(4)  Post a reflective sign at the entrance to each well

site with the specific address of that site, the coordinates

for the site, the emergency contact number for the operator

and such other information as the agency or the Department of

Environmental Protection deems necessary.

(b)  Definitions.--As used in this section, the following

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words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this

subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Unconventional oil or gas well."  A bore hole drilled or

being drilled for the purpose of or to be used for producing oil

or gas from a geological formation existing below the base of

the Elk Sandstone or its geologic equivalent stratigraphic

interval where oil or gas generally cannot be produced at

economic flow rates or in economic volumes except by vertical or

horizontal well bores stimulated by hydraulic fracture

treatments or by using multilateral well bores or other

techniques to expose more of the formation of the well bore.

Section 2.  Regulations promulgated under 35 Pa.C.S. § 7321

shall apply to both new and existing unconventional gas and oil

wells within this Commonwealth.

Section 3.  This act shall take effect immediately.