[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 724 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 724

   To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to clarify that underground 
 injection does not include certain activities, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 25, 1999

  Mr. Inhofe (for himself and Mr. Sessions) introduced the following 
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment 
                            and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to clarify that underground 
 injection does not include certain activities, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. DEFINITION OF UNDERGROUND INJECTION.

    Section 1421(d) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300h(d)) 
is amended by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
            ``(1) Underground injection.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The term `underground injection' 
                means the subsurface emplacement of fluids by well 
                injection.
                    ``(B) Exclusions.--The term `underground injection' 
                does not include--
                            ``(i) the underground injection of natural 
                        gas for purposes of storage; or
                            ``(ii) the underground injection of fluids 
                        or propping agents pursuant to hydraulic 
                        fracturing operations for purposes of reservoir 
                        stimulation related to oil or gas production 
                        activities.
                    ``(C) Regulation.--The Administrator shall possess 
                the sole authority to determine whether an activity not 
                regulated as underground injection prior to October 11, 
                1995 shall be regulated under this section.''.
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