[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2850 Reported in House (RH)]
Union Calendar No. 179
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2850
[Report No. 113-252]
To require certain procedures in the conduct by the Environmental
Protection Agency of its study of the potential impacts of hydraulic
fracturing on drinking water resources.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 30, 2013
Mr. Smith of Texas (for himself, Mr. Stewart, and Mrs. Lummis)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Science, Space, and Technology
October 23, 2013
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require certain procedures in the conduct by the Environmental
Protection Agency of its study of the potential impacts of hydraulic
fracturing on drinking water resources.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>
<DELETED> This Act may be cited as the ``EPA Hydraulic Fracturing
Study Improvement Act''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 2. EPA HYDRAULIC FRACTURING RESEARCH.</DELETED>
<DELETED> In conducting its study of the potential impacts of
hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources, with respect to which
a request for information was issued under Federal Register Vol. 77,
No. 218, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall
adhere to the following requirements:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Peer review and information quality.--Prior to
issuance and dissemination of any final report or any interim
report summarizing the Environmental Protection Agency's
research on the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and
drinking water, the Administrator shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) consider such reports to be Highly
Influential Scientific Assessments and require peer
review of such reports in accordance with guidelines
governing such assessments, as described in--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) the Environmental Protection
Agency's Peer Review Handbook 3rd
Edition;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) the Environmental Protection
Agency's Scientific Integrity Policy, as in
effect on the date of enactment of this Act;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iii) the Office of Management and
Budget's Peer Review Bulletin, as in effect on
the date of enactment of this Act;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) require such reports to meet the
standards and procedures for the dissemination of
influential scientific, financial, or statistical
information set forth in the Environmental Protection
Agency's Guidelines for Ensuring and Maximizing the
Quality, Objectivity, Utility, and Integrity of
Information Disseminated by the Environmental
Protection Agency, developed in response to guidelines
issued by the Office of Management and Budget under
section 515(a) of the Treasury and General Government
Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (Public Law
106-554).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Probability, uncertainty, and consequence.--In
order to maximize the quality and utility of information
developed through the study, the Administrator shall ensure
that identification of the possible impacts of hydraulic
fracturing on drinking water resources included in such reports
be accompanied by objective estimates of the probability,
uncertainty, and consequence of each identified impact, taking
into account the risk management practices of States and
industry. Estimates or descriptions of probability,
uncertainty, and consequence shall be as quantitative as
possible given the validity, accuracy, precision, and other
quality attributes of the underlying data and analyses, but no
more quantitative than the data and analyses can
support.</DELETED>
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``EPA Hydraulic Fracturing Study
Improvement Act''.
SEC. 2. EPA HYDRAULIC FRACTURING RESEARCH.
In conducting its study of the potential impacts of hydraulic
fracturing on drinking water resources, with respect to which a request
for information was issued under Federal Register Vol. 77, No. 218, the
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall adhere to
the following requirements:
(1) Peer review and information quality.--Prior to issuance
and dissemination of any final report or any interim report
summarizing the Environmental Protection Agency's research on
the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and drinking
water, the Administrator shall--
(A) consider such reports to be Highly Influential
Scientific Assessments and require peer review of such
reports in accordance with guidelines governing such
assessments, as described in--
(i) the Environmental Protection Agency's
Peer Review Handbook 3rd Edition;
(ii) the Environmental Protection Agency's
Scientific Integrity Policy, as in effect on
the date of enactment of this Act; and
(iii) the Office of Management and Budget's
Peer Review Bulletin, as in effect on the date
of enactment of this Act; and
(B) require such reports to meet the standards and
procedures for the dissemination of influential
scientific, financial, or statistical information set
forth in the Environmental Protection Agency's
Guidelines for Ensuring and Maximizing the Quality,
Objectivity, Utility, and Integrity of Information
Disseminated by the Environmental Protection Agency,
developed in response to guidelines issued by the
Office of Management and Budget under section 515(a) of
the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act
for Fiscal Year 2001 (Public Law 106-554).
(2) Probability, uncertainty, and consequence.--In order to
maximize the quality and utility of information developed
through the study, the Administrator shall ensure that
identification of the possible impacts of hydraulic fracturing
on drinking water resources included in such reports be
accompanied by objective estimates of the probability,
uncertainty, and consequence of each identified impact, taking
into account the risk management practices of States and
industry. Estimates or descriptions of probability,
uncertainty, and consequence shall be as quantitative as
possible given the validity, accuracy, precision, and other
quality attributes of the underlying data and analyses, but no
more quantitative than the data and analyses can support.
(3) Release of final report.--The final report shall be
publicly released by September 30, 2016.
Union Calendar No. 179
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2850
[Report No. 113-252]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require certain procedures in the conduct by the Environmental
Protection Agency of its study of the potential impacts of hydraulic
fracturing on drinking water resources.
_______________________________________________________________________
October 23, 2013
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed