H. B. 2064

          (By Delegate Manypenny)
          [Introduced February 13, 2013; referred to the
          Committee on the Judiciary.]




A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §22-26-8a, relating to requiring a driller or owner of a natural gas well who contaminates a groundwater aquifer to remediate the aquifer with the best available technology until it meets the standards of the Clean Water Act.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
     That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §22-26-8a, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 26. WATER RESOURCES PROTECTION ACT.
§22-26-8a. Groundwater contamination.
_____(a) The State Water Resources Management Plan, required by section eight of this article, must include a requirement that a driller or owner of a natural gas well who contaminates a groundwater aquifer shall remediate the aquifer with the best available technology, e.g., charcoal filtration, and reverse osmosis, until it meets the standards of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. §1251, et seq., as amended.



     NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require a driller or owner of a natural gas well who contaminates a groundwater aquifer to remediate the aquifer with the best available technology until it meets the standards of the Clean Water Act. The bill requires the system to be part of the State Water Resources Plan.


     This section is new; therefore, it has been completely underscored.