Fracking limit on water source fails

A bill that aimed at preserving Louisiana’s rivers was killed Wednesday in the House Natural Resources and Environment committee. Lawmakers and lobbyists chided the measure as a deterrent to oil and gas industries looking to do business in the state.
House Bill 527, by Rep. Robby Carter, D-Amite, prohibits the drawing of water from “a natural and scenic river” to facilitate hydraulic fracking, a drilling process in which a high-pressure water mixture is employed to extract natural gas.
Specifically, Carter’s bill seeks to protect rivers mentioned in the Louisiana Scenic Rivers Act, which was passed by the Legislature in 1988 and seeks to protect and maintain the state’s historic waterways.
Carter said the competitive nature of frackers along these rivers has “turned neighbor against neighbor” in his district, which includes a 113-mile stretch of the Tickfaw River.
“Why I’m bringing this bill is [because] greed has a funny way of acting,” Carter said. “Everyone wants to be Jed Clampett.”
But few committee members were willing to hamper Louisiana’s lucrative contracts with oil and gas companies, especially at a time when there are only 77 rigs operating in the state, a number offered by the oil and gas lobby.
“We’re at all time records low,” said Louisiana Oil and Gas Association vice president, Gifford Briggs, in his testimony against the bill. “This is going to be another regulation and another step in the process with making conducting business in Louisiana more difficult.”
Some legislators, including Rep. Jerome Zeringue, R-Houma, also pointed to the comprehensive permit process oil companies must navigate before obtaining permission to draw out water for fracking.
“I appreciate [Carter’s] passion. Unfortunately, you’re only targeting one industry,” said Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro. “What concerns me is we focus on one industry and then we target a second, a third and a fourth.”
Following a vote of 12-5 against HB 527, Carter voluntarily deferred his companion bill, HB 526, which required permits for companies withdrawing more than 100,000 gallons of ground water per day.