Polis and Huffman Offer Amendment Dealing with Impact of Flooding on Oil and Gas Infrastructure

Press Release

Today, Representatives Jared Polis (D-CO) and Jared Huffman (D-CA) introduced an amendment to H.R. 1965, the Federal Lands Jobs and Energy Security Act, requiring the National Academy of Sciences to study and report to Congress on the environmental impact of flooding on oil and gas facilities.

"My district in Colorado is all too familiar with the impact of devastating flooding on the nearby wells and pipelines. The September floods in Colorado not only caused extensive damage to homes and infrastructure, but also caused an unprecedented level of destruction to thousands of oil and gas facilities in northeastern Colorado," said Rep. Jared Polis. "Flood can happen anywhere and it's important to understand how we can minimize damage to oil and gas infrastructure."

In September, Coloradans experienced some of the worst flooding in the state's history. In an instant, homes and businesses, roads and bridges were washed away. The September floods in Colorado not only caused extensive damage to infrastructure, but also caused an unprecedented level of destruction to thousands of oil and gas facilities in northeastern Colorado. As a result, over 43,000 gallons of oil and over 26,000 gallons of produced water spilled from tanks, wells, and pipelines into the floodwater. The Polis Amendment cosponsored by Representative Huffman would specifically require the National Academy of Sciences to study and report to Congress about the impact of flooding on oil and gas facilities and the resulting instances of leaking and spills from tanks, wells, and pipelines.

Previously, Rep. Polis joined Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) in sending a letter on September 25th to House Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings requesting a hearing to fully understand the consequences resulting from the flood. To date, this hearing has yet to be scheduled.

"The floods in Colorado shed a light on the need to better understand how we can prevent further spills and leaks as a result of floods in the future," concluded Polis.

Unfortunately the amendment failed on the floor by a vote of 201 to 221.

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