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Tell Your Texas State Senator: No Fracking Chemicals in Our Drinking Water

House Bill 2771 would allow oil and gas companies to discharge their contaminated wastewater from fracking and other activities into Texas lakes, rivers and streams, which are sources of our drinking water.

The bill says the water must be “treated,” but there are no standards or processes for treating the vast majority of the 1,600 chemicals found in fracking wastewater. Oil and gas companies don’t even have to disclose what all of these chemicals are!

Making matters even worse, House Bill 2545 would provide a subsidy for companies that dump these toxins into our drinking water.

The Texas House of Representatives already failed us by passing both of these bills. Now we must stop them in the Texas Senate.

Email Your Texas State Senator Now to Oppose Allowing Fracking Wastewater Into Our Drinking Water

WATER IS LIFE

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Texas State Senators

Subject: Vote NO on HB 2771 and HB 2545: fracking wastewater isn’t safe to drink

Message:

I’m horrified to learn that the Texas Senate is considering a bill — HB 2771 (companion to SB 1585) — that would allow wastewater from fracking and other oil and gas industry activities to be discharged into Texas lakes, rivers and streams. HB 2545 even would provide a subsidy to companies that discharge fracking wastewater into surface water. This is a dangerous idea that would put the health of Texans and our economy at risk. These bills are written to make it seem like fracking water can be treated to be safe, but "fresh water" isn't defined in HB 2545 and the treatment standard in HB 2771 doesn't address most of the chemicals found in fracking wastewater. Fracking wastewater can contain up to 1,600 different contaminants. Many of these substances are toxic, and it’s not possible to treat this water to make it safe to drink. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved methods for detecting only about 400 of those chemicals, and toxicity data exists for fewer than 200 of them. Safe levels are set for just over 90 of these chemicals in the Safe Drinking Water Act. Our scientific knowledge and regulations simply aren’t sufficient to ensure that industrial wastewater from oil and gas production is safe. Beyond that, Texas law allows companies to keep many of the toxic chemicals in fracking fluids secret, making independent testing and tracking of pollutants very difficult. I urge you to vote NO on HB 2771 (or SB 1585) and HB 2545. If these bills become law, millions of Texans who rely on surface water for their drinking water will be at risk of consuming toxic chemicals. In case these bills do pass, I also urge you to support amendments that would: 1. Require the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to study the costs and benefits of this proposal before making a determination; 2. Require companies to disclose all chemicals in fracking fluid before they can apply for a permit; 3. Require all discharged water to meet the Safe Drinking Water Act standards; 4. Require robust public participation in the permitting process; and 5. Give the TCEQ more time to develop water quality standards for the many chemicals that are found in fracking wastewater. 6. Use the definition of "fresh water" found in the Texas Water Code, as "water having bacteriological, physical, and chemical properties which make it suitable and feasible for beneficial use for any lawful purpose." Thank you for protecting the right of all Texans to have safe drinking water.

Remaining:

Texas State Senator Hughes

Subject: Stop advancing HB 2771 and vote NO on HB 2545: fracking wastewater isn’t safe to drink

Message:

I’m horrified to learn that the Texas Senate may soon consider a bill you are sponsoring — SB 1585 (or HB 2771) — that would allow wastewater from fracking and other oil and gas industry activities to be discharged into Texas lakes, rivers and streams. This is a dangerous idea that would put the health of Texans and our economy at risk. Fracking wastewater can contain up to 1,600 different contaminants. Many of these substances are toxic, and it’s not possible to treat this water to make it safe to drink. The U.S. EPA has approved methods for detecting only about 400 of those chemicals, and toxicity data exists for fewer than 200 of them. Safe levels are set for just 89 of these chemicals in the Safe Drinking Water Act. Our scientific knowledge and regulations simply aren’t sufficient to ensure that industrial wastewater from oil and gas production is safe. Beyond that, Texas law allows companies to keep many of the toxic chemicals in fracking fluids secret, making independent testing and tracking of pollutants very difficult. I urge you to stop pushing HB 2771/SB 1585 legislation. I also urge you not to support HB 2545, which would provide a subsidy to companies that dump this toxic wastewater into our drinking water supplies. If these bills become law, millions of Texans who rely on surface water for their drinking water will be at risk of consuming toxic chemicals. At the very least, I urge you to amend these bills to: 1. Require the TCEQ to study the costs and benefits of this proposal before making a determination; 2. Require companies to disclose all chemicals in fracking fluid before they can apply for a permit; 3. Require all discharged water to meet the Safe Drinking Water Act standards; 4. Require robust public participation in the permitting process; and 5. Give the TCEQ more time to develop water quality standards for the many chemicals that are found in fracking wastewater. 6. Use the definition of "fresh water" found in the Texas Water Code, as "water having bacteriological, physical, and chemical properties which make it suitable and feasible for beneficial use for any lawful purpose." Thank you.

Remaining:

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Take the Next Step: Call Your State Senator Now

Thank you for emailing and demanding that your Texas state senator oppose HB 2771 and HB 2545, which would allow fracking chemicals into our drinking water.

Defeating these Big Oil-funded bills is not going to be easy, but your senator is more likely to vote NO if he or she is getting phone calls, as well as emails, in opposition.

You can look up your Texas state senator and find their phone number here.

When you call, give this message to the staffer who answers the phone, or leave a voicemail:

“I’m upset to learn that the Texas Senate is considering legislation – HB 2771 – that would allow wastewater from fracking and other oil and gas industry activities into Texas lakes, rivers and streams. HB 2545 would even provide a subsidy for companies to do this. This dangerous proposal would put millions of Texans at risk of consuming toxic chemicals. I urge Senator _______________ to vote NO on HB 2771 and HB 2545, and to support amendments to make these bills more protective of public health.”

Message for Senator Bryan Hughes (sponsor of HB 2771):

“I’m upset to learn that the Texas Senate is considering a bill Senator Hughes is sponsoring - HB 2771 - that would allow wastewater from fracking and other oil and gas industry activities into Texas lakes, rivers and streams. This is a dangerous proposal that would put millions of Texans at risk of consuming toxic chemicals in their drinking water. I urge Senator Hughes to stop advancing HB 2771. He should at least amend the bill to be more protective of public health.”

© 2019 Public Citizen. This web site is shared by Public Citizen Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation.
Learn more about the distinction between these two components of Public Citizen.

Tell Your Texas State Senator: No Fracking Chemicals in Our Drinking Water

WATER IS LIFE

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Take the Next Step: Call Your State Senator Now