Natural Gas Blowout Prevention, Oversight, and Liability Act of 2020 This bill sets forth federal standards related to natural gas blowouts. A blowout is the loss of control of any well that leads to the release of combusted or uncombusted natural gas into the atmosphere. Specifically, the bill requires operators of wells to report natural gas blowouts to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) within 72 hours after a blowout occurs; directs the EPA to establish and maintain a public database of all blowouts; imposes penalties for natural gas or flared natural gas that is released as a result of a well blowout, based on the volume released; establishes a grant program to reduce the scale and regularity of blowouts and the burden to states and local governments with respect to emergency responses to blowouts; and directs the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board to submit a report that describes each natural gas blowout from the past 10 years and includes recommendations to reduce the number of blowouts.
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Timeline
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Energy
AccidentsAir qualityCivil actions and liabilityClimate change and greenhouse gasesCongressional oversightEmergency planning and evacuationEnvironmental assessment, monitoring, researchEnvironmental regulatory proceduresGovernment information and archivesGovernment studies and investigationsIntergovernmental relationsLicensing and registrationsOil and gasPollution liability
Natural Gas Blowout Prevention, Oversight, and Liability Act of 2020
USA116th CongressS-4523| Senate
| Updated: 8/12/2020
Natural Gas Blowout Prevention, Oversight, and Liability Act of 2020 This bill sets forth federal standards related to natural gas blowouts. A blowout is the loss of control of any well that leads to the release of combusted or uncombusted natural gas into the atmosphere. Specifically, the bill requires operators of wells to report natural gas blowouts to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) within 72 hours after a blowout occurs; directs the EPA to establish and maintain a public database of all blowouts; imposes penalties for natural gas or flared natural gas that is released as a result of a well blowout, based on the volume released; establishes a grant program to reduce the scale and regularity of blowouts and the burden to states and local governments with respect to emergency responses to blowouts; and directs the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board to submit a report that describes each natural gas blowout from the past 10 years and includes recommendations to reduce the number of blowouts.
AccidentsAir qualityCivil actions and liabilityClimate change and greenhouse gasesCongressional oversightEmergency planning and evacuationEnvironmental assessment, monitoring, researchEnvironmental regulatory proceduresGovernment information and archivesGovernment studies and investigationsIntergovernmental relationsLicensing and registrationsOil and gasPollution liability