Develop Natural Gas Responsibly

Protect Arkansans’ Property Rights and Environment from the Threats of Natural Gas Development

Natural gas development must be balanced in a responsible approach that takes advantage of the economic opportunities but also protects Arkansans’ individual property rights and the air, land, and water which we all depend upon for survival.

The bills below are currently being amended to include the solutions listed here - they will be complete soon.

The Landowners’ Bill of Rights – SB314 – Arkansas landowners should have:

• Adequate buffer zones between drilling sites and their homes;
• A voice in decisions about well siting and other plans on their property;
• Full disclosure and adequate notice of all company activities on their property; and
• Accurate information about their rights as mineral and/or surface owners.

Natural Gas Drilling Disclosure – HB1396 – Gas companies should reveal to the public and state agencies:

• Volumes of water used and the source of the water;
• Chemicals and volumes of chemicals used;
• Quantity of fluid (water and chemicals) used in a well that remained in the well versus returned to the surface;
• Disposal methods for all drilling and fracturing fluids.

Rural Good Neighbor Noise Abatement – HB1399 – Imagine a 70 db vacuum cleaner in your house and everywhere on your property 24 hours a day 

• Technology exists to reduce the noise from gas fields to nothing more than 50dcb at 200 feet of distance.

Natural Gas Drilling Air Quality Protection – HB1395 – Natural gas drilling, production and transportation releases a myriad of hazardous air contaminants that are unmonitored in Arkansas.

• Air quality from wells near homes and of wells concentrated in small geographic areas should be monitored.
• Best practice of close loop system should be applied.

Natural Gas Drilling Water Quality Protection – HB1394 – Many Arkansas lakes, rivers and streams such as the Little Red River, Cadron Creek and Greers Ferry Lake are threatened with pollution from gas development.

• Gas companies should be REQUIRED to follow best management practices when building roads, pipelines and drilling pads.
• More must be done to protect Arkansas’s water from the toxins used in drilling and production.
• More must be done to ensure that landowners’ private water supplies near drill sites are protected.

Improving Inspections and Enforcement at Gas Drilling Sites – HB1392 – Gas wells are not inspected often enough, and there are far too many cases where violations have gone unremediated and unpunished.

• Gas wells should be inspected at least annually and more often during drilling or fracturing, when millions of gallons of chemicals and contaminated water are handled on site.
• More must be done to hold polluters accountable for correcting problems they’ve created and to prevent them from repeating mistakes again.

Increase Bonding to Protect Arkansas from Holding the Toxic Bag – HB1393 – Gas wells will remain productive for 10 to 30 years, but then they will need to be closed and remediated.  Some of the toxins injected into wells will remain poisonous for years to come.  We must protect Arkansans from companies who may go bankrupt or fail to meet their obligations to clean up their mess.

• Assurance bonds to pay for closing and remediating abandoned wells must be significantly increased.
• Information of who will maintain the gas/salt injection wells once the sites are considered depleted or reached capacity or liquidation of current owners or producers.