S. 3247 · 116th Congress
Fracking Ban Act
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 116th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
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SandersSponsor1 cosponsor · 1 D
1 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill phases out hydraulic fracturing for oil and natural gas. Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is a process to extract underground resources such as oil or gas from a geologic formation by injecting water, a propping agent (e.g., sand), and chemical additives into a well under enough pressure to fracture the geological formation.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in Senate · Jan 28, 2020
Fracking Ban Act
This bill phases out hydraulic fracturing for oil and natural gas. Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is a process to extract underground resources such as oil or gas from a geologic formation by injecting water, a propping agent (e.g., sand), and chemical additives into a well under enough pressure to fracture the geological formation.
The bill prohibits federal agencies from issuing permits for the expansion of fracking or fracked oil and natural gas infrastructure, including infrastructure intended to extract, transport, or burn natural gas or oil.
In addition, the bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency to complete a survey of all oil and natural gas wells to identify the wells where fracking is, or has been, used. The survey must include a variety of data, including data on the proximity of fracking operations to inhabited structures (e.g., homes or schools).
Beginning on February 1, 2021, the bill revokes permits for wells where fracking is, or has been, used within 2,500 feet of inhabited structures. The bill bans all fracking on onshore and offshore land by 2025.
Finally, the bill requires the Department of Labor to establish a Just Transition Committee to make recommendations on ensuring the health and safety of individuals residing in, and the prosperity of, natural gas- and oil-producing regions during the phaseout of fracking.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Fracking Ban Act
Latest action (Jan 28, 2020): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Policy area: Environmental Protection · Origin: Senate · Introduced: Jan 28, 2020
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.