Senators allow introduction of wastewater bill

Senators voted to suspend the Legislature’s rules May 7 to permit the introduction of a new bill.

Traditionally, new bills may be introduced only during the first 10 days of the legislative session. Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers moved to suspend the rules to introduce a new bill that would address the oil and gas industry’s disposal of wastewater in Nebraska.

Chambers said he wanted to acknowledge the outrage and anxiety created by a recent Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission decision to allow the disposal of wastewater from oil production into underground wells.

“The commission has shown a blatant and contemptuous disregard to the Legislature in general and our colleagues who have tried to approach them about this,” he said. “I want some official action taken by the Legislature to serve as notice to the commission and the people who have shown concern about this matter that the Legislature is not ignoring them or the issue.”

The language proposed under the new bill, LB664, would require any company that applies to dispose of wastewater in the state to provide a list of all chemicals present in the wastewater. If approved, the company then would be required to provide semiannual updates to the Legislature.

Chambers said the exact language of the bill was likely to change dramatically, but that it would have a public hearing before the Legislature’s Natural Resources Committee during the interim to allow public input.

Gering Sen. John Stinner, who introduced LB572, also relating to wastewater disposal, supported the motion. He said that proprietary issues aside, it is reasonable for companies to disclose the chemical makeup of wastewater.

“It’s been a contention by the commission that this produced water is nontoxic, but we need to have 100 percent assurances that the water they’re putting into those wells is, in fact, nontoxic,” he said.

Senators approved the motion on a 37-6 vote.