Florida Senate - 2017                                      SB 98
       
       
        
       By Senator Farmer
       
       34-00217-17                                             201798__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to well stimulation; creating a short
    3         title; amending s. 377.19, F.S.; defining the term
    4         “extreme well stimulation”; creating s. 377.2427,
    5         F.S.; prohibiting persons from engaging in extreme
    6         well stimulation; prohibiting the Department of
    7         Environmental Protection from issuing permits
    8         authorizing extreme well stimulation; prohibiting the
    9         department from authorizing certain permitholders to
   10         engage in extreme well stimulation on or after a
   11         specified date; providing an effective date.
   12          
   13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   14  
   15         Section 1.  This act may be cited as the “Stop Fracking
   16  Act.”
   17         Section 2. Present subsections (4) through (32) of section
   18  377.19, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (5)
   19  through (33), respectively, present subsection (5) is amended,
   20  and a new subsection (4) is added to that section, to read:
   21         377.19 Definitions.—As used in ss. 377.06, 377.07, and
   22  377.10-377.40, the term:
   23         (4) “Extreme well stimulation” means all stages of a well
   24  intervention performed by injecting fluids into a rock formation
   25  at a high pressure that exceeds the fracture gradient of the
   26  rock formation in order to propagate fractures in the rock
   27  formation to increase production at an oil or gas well by
   28  improving the flow of hydrocarbons from the formation into the
   29  wellbore. The term also includes, but is not limited to, acid
   30  fracturing, matrix acidizing, pneumatic fracturing, fracturing
   31  with dynamic loading, and other techniques the purpose of which
   32  is to physically deform the rock formation in such a manner as
   33  to significantly increase the flow of hydrocarbons from the
   34  formation into the wellbore. The term does not include routine
   35  well cleanout work; routine well maintenance; routine treatment
   36  for the purpose of removal of rock formation damage due to
   37  drilling or other well construction activity; any bottom hole
   38  pressure survey; any routine activity that does not affect the
   39  integrity of the well or the rock formation; the removal of
   40  scale or precipitate from well perforations, casing, or tubing;
   41  or a gravel pack treatment that does not exceed the formation
   42  fracture gradient.
   43         (6)(5) “Gas” means all natural gas, including casinghead
   44  gas, and all other hydrocarbons not defined as oil in subsection
   45  (16) (15).
   46         Section 3. Section 377.2427, Florida Statutes, is created
   47  to read:
   48         377.2427 Well stimulation.—
   49         (1) A person may not engage in extreme well stimulation in
   50  this state.
   51         (2) The department may not issue an oil or gas drilling or
   52  operating permit authorizing extreme well stimulation.
   53         (3) The department may not authorize any person holding a
   54  permit issued pursuant to this chapter or rules adopted
   55  thereunder to engage in extreme well stimulation on or after
   56  July 1, 2017.
   57         Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2017.