BILL NUMBER: AB 1905	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 7, 2016

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Wilk

                        FEBRUARY 11, 2016

   An act to add Section 3270.7 to the Public Resources Code,
relating to oil and gas, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take
effect immediately.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   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 1.  Section 3270.7 is added to the Public Resources Code,
to read:
   3270.7.  On or before July 1, 2017, the Secretary of the Natural
Resources Agency shall cause to be conducted, and completed, an
independent scientific study on natural gas injection and storage
practices and facilities. The scientific study shall evaluate the
hazards and risks and potential hazards and risks that natural gas
injection and storage pose to natural resources and public,
occupational, and environmental health and safety. The scientific
study shall do all of the following:
   (a) Follow the well-established standard protocols of the
scientific profession, including, but not limited to, the use of
recognized experts, peer review, and publication.
   (b) (1) Identify and evaluate  natural gas storage injection
 well construction standards and operation techniques for both
existing  natural gas storage  injection wells and for newly
drilled  natural gas storage  injection wells.
   (2) Determine the average age of injection wells at gas storage
facilities in the state and evaluate whether the construction
standards used in aging wells are adequate to continue to protect
 public   natural resources and public,
occupational,  and environmental health and safety.
   (c) Identify the proximity of existing natural gas storage
facilities in the state to  population centers  
residential development  and the risks posed by those
facilities to nearby  populations.   residential
development. 
   (d) (1) Identify the chemicals currently used as odorants at
natural gas storage facilities in the state and the public health and
environmental risks posed by those odorants.
   (2) Evaluate potential alternatives to the odorants currently in
use to determine if there are any feasible alternative odorants that
pose a lower risk to public and environmental health.
   (e) Evaluate the current state regulatory structure for natural
gas injection and storage facilities and recommend measures that
would better protect  public   natural resources
and public, occupational,  and environmental health and safety
while still maintaining energy reliability.
   (f) Clearly identify where additional information is necessary to
inform and improve the analyses.
  SEC. 2.  This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the
meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into immediate
effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
   Due to a  currently ongoing  leak of primarily
methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from the Southern California Gas
Company Aliso Canyon SS-25 well that began on October 23, 2015, the
unknown effects on the community of and surrounding Porter Ranch must
be studied at the earliest possible time, independent from Southern
California Gas Company and in order to prevent future harm from
similar events, it is necessary that this act take effect
immediately.