AB 1905, as amended, Wilk. Natural gas injection and storage: study.
Under existing law, the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources in the Department of Conservation regulates the drilling, operation, maintenance, stimulation, and abandonment of oil and gas wells in the state. Existing law requires the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency to complete an independent scientific study on well stimulation treatments, as specified.
The bill would require the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, on or before July 1, 2017, to cause to be conducted, and completed, an independent scientific study on natural gas injection and storage practices and facilities, as specified.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Vote: 2⁄3. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 3270.7 is added to the Public Resources
2Code, to read:
On or before July 1, 2017, the Secretary of the Natural
4Resources Agency shall cause to be conducted, and completed, an
5independent scientific study on natural gas injection and storage
6practices and facilities. The scientific study shall evaluate the
7hazards and risks and potential hazards and risks that natural gas
8injection and storage pose to natural resources and public,
9occupational, and environmental health and safety. The scientific
10study shall do all of the following:
11(a) Follow the well-established standard protocols of the
12scientific profession, including, but not limited to, the use of
13recognized experts, peer review, and publication.
14(b) (1) Identify and evaluatebegin insert natural gas storage injectionend insert well
15construction standards and operation techniques for both existing
16begin insert natural gas storageend insert injection wells and for newly drilledbegin insert natural
17gas storageend insert injection wells.
18(2) Determine the average age of injection wells at gas storage
19facilities in the state and evaluate whether the construction
20standards used in aging wells are adequate to continue to protect
21begin delete publicend deletebegin insert
natural resources and public, occupational,end insert and
22environmental health and safety.
23(c) Identify the proximity of existing natural gas storage facilities
24in the state tobegin delete population centersend deletebegin insert residential developmentend insert and the
25risks posed by those facilities to nearbybegin delete populations.end deletebegin insert residential
26development.end insert
27(d) (1) Identify the chemicals currently used as odorants at
28natural gas storage facilities in the state
and the public health and
29environmental risks posed by those odorants.
30(2) Evaluate potential alternatives to the odorants currently in
31use to determine if there are any feasible alternative odorants that
32pose a lower risk to public and environmental health.
33(e) Evaluate the current state regulatory structure for natural
34gas injection and storage facilities and recommend measures that
35would better protectbegin delete publicend deletebegin insert natural resources and public,
36occupational,end insert and environmental health and safety while still
37maintaining energy reliability.
P3 1(f) Clearly identify
where additional information is necessary
2to inform and improve the analyses.
This act is an urgency statute necessary for the
4immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within
5the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into
6immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
7Due to abegin delete currently ongoingend delete leak of primarily methane, a potent
8greenhouse gas, from the Southern California Gas Company Aliso
9Canyon SS-25 well that began on October 23, 2015, the unknown
10effects on the community of and surrounding Porter Ranch must
11be studied at the earliest possible time, independent from Southern
12California Gas Company and in
order to prevent future harm from
13similar events, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.
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