98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
SB3492

 

Introduced 2/14/2014, by Sen. Dan Kotowski

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
225 ILCS 732/1-99.5 new

    Amends the Hydraulic Fracturing Regulatory Act. Provides that the Department of Natural Resources shall suspend the acceptance or approval of any and all new or modified permits for high volume horizontal fracturing wells and operations, horizontal drilled wells with fracturing operations, and Class II injection wells that are near specified areas. Establishes the Illinois Active Earthquake Zone Investigative Task Force. Provides requirements for the Task Force's investigation and report concerning the effects of hydraulic fracturing, horizontal drilling, and Class II injection wells on seismicity in this State. Effective immediately.


LRB098 19570 MGM 54760 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB3492LRB098 19570 MGM 54760 b

1    AN ACT concerning regulation.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Hydraulic Fracturing Regulatory Act is
5amended by adding Section 1-99.5 as follows:
 
6    (225 ILCS 732/1-99.5 new)
7    Sec. 1-99.5. The Illinois Active Earthquake Zone
8Investigative Task Force.
9    (a) The Department shall, on the effective date of this
10amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly, suspend the
11acceptance or approval of any and all new or modified permits
12for high volume horizontal fracturing wells and operations,
13horizontal drilled wells with fracturing operations, and Class
14II injection wells that are located within any and all counties
15that wholly or partially contain any part of the New Madrid
16seismic zone, the Wabash Valley seismic zone, Cottage Grove
17fault system, Rough Creek–Shawneetown fault system, the
18magmatic system of Hicks Dome, the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar
19District, or the NNW-trending La Salle, Du Quoin, and Clay City
20fold systems. The Department shall also suspend any approval of
21waste management plans for high volume horizontal fracturing
22wells and operations, horizontal drilled wells with fracturing
23operations, for disposal of oil, liquid natural gas, or natural

 

 

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1gas waste in existing Class II injection wells if they are
2located within any and all counties that wholly or partially
3contain any part of the New Madrid seismic zone, the Wabash
4Valley seismic zone, Cottage Grove fault system, Rough
5Creek–Shawneetown fault system, the magmatic system of Hicks
6Dome, the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District, or the
7NNW-trending La Salle, Du Quoin, and Clay City fold systems.
8    (b) The Department shall work with the Illinois State
9Geological Survey to perform probability mapping of all active
10seismic zones in this State listed in subsection (a). Using
11existing data and resources at the Illinois State Geological
12Survey and the United States Geological Survey, along with data
13on faults in brittle rock, the Illinois State Geological Survey
14shall outline, for each county, the areas of the active faults
15listed in subsection (a) that carry a high, medium, and low
16probability of seismicity from oil, liquid natural gas, and gas
17waste disposal in Class II injection wells.
18    (c) The Illinois Active Earthquake Zone Investigative Task
19Force is hereby created. The Task Force shall have the
20following members:
21        (1) the Director, or his or her representative, from
22    each of the following State agencies: the Illinois
23    Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Natural
24    Resources, the Department of Public Health, the Illinois
25    State Water Survey, the Illinois Pollution Control Board,
26    the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois

 

 

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1    State Geological Survey, and the Department of Insurance;
2        (2) one independent expert in risk assessment in
3    earthquake zones and its impact on insurance rates and
4    ratings appointed by the Director of Insurance;
5        (3) one university-based independent seismologist with
6    expertise in induced seismicity appointed by the Director
7    of the Illinois State Geological Survey; and
8        (4) one member from the Illinois Attorney General's
9    office appointed by the Attorney General.
10    (d) The chairperson of the Illinois Active Earthquake
11Investigative Task Force shall be the Director of the Illinois
12Emergency Management Agency, or his or her representative. The
13members shall be appointed no later than 60 days after the
14effective date of this amendatory Act of the 98th General
15Assembly.
16    The Illinois Active Earthquake Investigative Task Force
17shall:
18        (1) Meet once a month, either in person or through
19    video conferencing capabilities, beginning no later than
20    90 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of
21    the 98th General Assembly.
22        (2) Operate without pay, but with all expenses paid for
23    the functioning of the Task Force to be allocated by the
24    Illinois Emergency Management Agency.
25        (3) Provide a fully researched report, within 2 years
26    after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 98th

 

 

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1    General Assembly.
2        (4) Investigate any and all adverse effects, or risks,
3    of induced seismicity by the disposal of oil, liquid
4    natural gas, and natural gas waste in Class II injection
5    wells in active earthquake zones. And in particular, if the
6    Class II injection wells are located within any and all
7    counties that wholly or partially contain any part of the
8    New Madrid seismic zone, the Wabash Valley seismic zone,
9    Cottage Grove fault system, Rough Creek–Shawneetown fault
10    system, the magmatic system of Hicks Dome, the
11    Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District, or the NNW-trending
12    La Salle, Du Quoin, and Clay City fold systems.
13        (5) Examine the probability of induced seismicity in
14    Illinois active seismic zones and any and all adverse
15    effects or risks of possible induced seismicity on:
16            (A) water resources, water wells, aquifers, dams,
17        canals, any possible contamination, and the
18        environment, including possible soil and air
19        contamination;
20            (B) public health effects, including mental health
21        adverse effects of repeated induced seismic events;
22            (C) adverse effects on property, including
23        livestock and domesticated animals;
24            (D) adverse effects on tourism and recreational
25        activities in the active seismic zones of this State;
26            (E) risk management issues, including emergency

 

 

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1        management plans;
2            (F) risk management issues, including liability
3        issues, bonding issues, and insurance requirements for
4        operators, well owners, land owners, mineral rights
5        owners, lessors, and subcontractors and the effects on
6        insurance rates and ratings, mortgages, small
7        businesses and their insurance and mortgage rates and
8        availability;
9            (G) effects on the mechanical integrity of the oil,
10        liquid natural gas, and natural gas wells, Class II
11        injection wells, and the oil, liquid natural gas, and
12        natural gas industry critical infrastructure,
13        including pipelines, and any possible contamination
14        from a breach of mechanical integrity of these
15        structures;
16            (H) effects of potential spillage, leakage, fires,
17        or blowouts of the oil, liquid natural gas and natural
18        gas wells, fracturing waste and waste water
19        containment structures including open pits, oil,
20        liquid natural gas and natural gas processing
21        infrastructure, and transportation infrastructure,
22        including pipelines, secondary to possible induced
23        seismicity;
24            (I) effects of potential spillage, leakage, fires,
25        or blowouts of chemicals, proppants, and byproducts,
26        and their containment, processing, and transportation

 

 

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1        infrastructure, secondary to possible induced
2        seismicity;
3            (J) the safety of any nuclear power plants, uranium
4        processing plants, or low level radioactive waste
5        storage sites in this State and the surrounding states
6        that might be impacted by induced seismicity triggered
7        within the active seismic zones in this State;
8            (K) the risks of inducing a major earthquake,
9        greater than magnitude 6, either immediately or in the
10        future, on all of the issues delineated in this
11        Section, and the risk management issues involved with a
12        higher level of induced seismicity; and
13            (L) whether the Green Light, Yellow Light, Red
14        Light system of mitigation of induced seismicity,
15        proposed by the Illinois State Geological Survey and
16        the Department of Natural Resources, is appropriate or
17        sufficient for real mitigation of all adverse effects
18        of induced seismicity in the active seismic zones in
19        this State.
20    (e) The Illinois Active Earthquake Zone Investigative Task
21Force shall investigate the issues under subsection (d) and
22write a report to be submitted on or before January 1, 2017 to
23the General Assembly, the Governor, the Hydraulic Fracturing
24Task Force, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the
25Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Public
26Health, the Illinois State Water Survey, the Illinois Pollution

 

 

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1Control Board, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency,
2the Illinois State Geological Survey, the Department of
3Insurance, the Illinois Attorney General, and to the public via
4the website of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the
5website of the Department of Natural Resources. The report
6shall be as complete as possible when discussing the risks and
7the possible mitigation of the risks of induced seismicity
8shall include recommendations and conclusions about naturally
9occurring seismic events in the active seismic zones listed in
10section (a), including:
11        (1) the risks of drilling and extracting oil, liquid
12    natural gas, and natural gas in active seismic zones;
13        (2) the risks of drilling and operating Class II
14    injection wells in active seismic zones;
15        (3) the use of fracturing waste or wastewater open pits
16    in active seismic zones;
17        (4) earthquake induced contamination of air, water,
18    and soil from oil and natural gas extraction operations and
19    waste disposal, the clean up and public health effects of
20    the contamination;
21        (5) emergency management recommendations during
22    earthquakes involving areas of oil and natural gas
23    operations and infrastructure;
24        (6) earthquake induced spillage and leakage from oil
25    and natural gas wells;
26        (7) oil and natural gas infrastructure instability

 

 

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1    during earthquakes;
2        (8) bonding requirements for oil and natural gas
3    operations and infrastructure in active seismic zones;
4        (9) insurance requirements for oil and natural gas
5    operations and infrastructure in active seismic zones;
6        (10) best practices for the oil and natural gas
7    industry in active seismic zones; and
8        (11) any and all emergency management, transportation,
9    and communication recommendations related to the oil and
10    natural gas industry and its operations before, during, and
11    after an earthquake.
12    (f) The report shall include recommendations to the General
13Assembly and Governor for legislation to protect the public
14health and environment, property, livelihoods, and communities
15from all reported adverse affects of induced seismicity in the
16Illinois active seismic zones, including recommendations to
17the General Assembly about legislation to limit damages, harms,
18risks, contamination, and legal challenges over liability
19secondary to naturally concurring seismic events in the active
20seismic zones and how to mitigate the risks from blowouts,
21spillage, leakage, and damages to the mechanical integrity of
22oil, liquid natural gas, and natural gas wells, drilling, Class
23II injection wells, waste and waste water containment,
24pipelines, infrastructure, chemicals, proppants, and
25byproducts. This report shall also include any and all
26emergency management, transportation, and communication

 

 

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1recommendations related to the oil and natural gas industry and
2its operations before, during, and after induced seismicity and
3naturally occurring seismic events.
4    (g) The Illinois Active Earthquake Zone Investigative Task
5Force shall submit its report on or before January 1, 2017. The
6Task Force shall be dissolved on July 1, 2017.
 
7    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
8becoming law.