Democrats Introduce Fracking Bills in Michigan House

Source: State Rep. Ellen Cogen Lipton.

State Representatives Vicki Barnett (D-Farmington Hills), Jim Townsend (D-Royal Oak) and Ellen Cogen Lipton (D-Huntington Woods) announced at a press conference (July 11) the introduction of eight bills designed to shed light on hydraulic fracturing, otherwise known as “fracking.” The package of legislation will provide transparency for families and individuals, protect public health and water quality, hold drilling companies accountable, and protect our state’s tourism industry. Jim Nash, the Oakland County Water Resources commissioner, also spoke in favor of the legislation.

“Fracking injects unknown chemicals into the ground and puts our health â and the health of our kids â at risk,” Barnett said. “In highly urbanized areas like much of Oakland County, we must find a way to balance the safety of our communities against our desire for a safe and reliable domestic energy supply. This package of bills strikes that balance.”

The legislation seeks to ensure that the chemicals used in fracking don’t have an adverse effect on water quality or the health of nearby residents. Some bills in the package would:

• Require the disclosure of the chemicals used in the fracking process and report the water used when it exceeds more than 100,000 gallons

“Our state’s groundwater doesn’t belong to big oil corporations,” Townsend said. “Our families depend on clean water for our health, and the agriculture and tourism industries rely on clean water to generate thousands of jobs in our state. We can’t allow big oil companies to take priority over everyone else in Michigan.”

Currently, about 930 chemicals have been used in the fracking process, according to information from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Current and pending drilling permits estimate proposed water used in fracking operations at 500 million gallons. Another drilling company is proposing 500 new sites and anticipates using 4 billion gallons of Great Lakes water.

Barnett, Townsend and Lipton urge residents to visit www.ProtectMIWater.com, where they can find information about fracking, learn about the bills in the package and sign a petition supporting the legislation.

“Our environment and health are too important and too fragile to allow fracking to go unregulated,” Lipton said. “Our legislation provides a common-sense approach that balances the needs of Michiganders and our natural resources against the interests of major corporations.”