SB 547: BAN HORIZONTAL OIL & GAS FRACTURING

An Act Relating To Oil And Gas; Amending And Enacting Sections Of The Oil And Gas Act To Ban Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing; Declaring An Emergency.

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HIGH SB 547
BAN HORIZONTAL OIL & GAS FRACTURING

Legislative URL:

SB 547 on nmlegis.gov

Emergency Clause:

Yes

Germane:

N/A

Location:

- OTHER -

Action:

[14] SCONC/SCORC/SFC-SCONC API.

Issue(s):

Energy, Water Quality & Supply

Related Legislators

Bill Sponsor:

William Soules

Related Documents

Downloads:

Introduced
Fiscal Impact Report

Summary

This measure adds a new section of law to the Oil and Gas Act that prohibits the combining of “horizontal drilling and multistage hydraulic fracturing” (commonly referred to as “fracking”) in New Mexico for the purpose of extracting oil or natural gas.

It defines “horizontal drilling” as “the method of drilling used to increase the exposure of a well to an oil or natural gas source rock formation that typically exists as a near-horizontal layer of bedrock. After drilling vertically to just above a targeted source rock, the direction of drilling is transitioned approximately ninety degrees to horizontal so that the resulting borehole enters the source rock and continues through it horizontally. Typically, the resulting horizontal, or lateral, section of the well is hydraulically fractured in multiple stages.”

It defines “hydraulic fracturing” as ” the process of injecting fluid, usually a mixture of water, sand and chemicals, into an oil- or natural-gas-bearing rock formation adjacent to the borehole of an oil or natural gas well for the purpose of either creating new fractures or expanding existing fractures to stimulate the flow into the well of oil or natural gas that would otherwise remain in the rock formation.”

A potential benefit of this measure might be that it could help protect the State’s underground water sources from contamination.

Date of Summary:  2/15/2013