Saud Anwar

Senator Anwar Joins Senate In Expanding State Ban On Fracking Waste

HARTFORD, CT – Today, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) joined the Senate in approving an expansion of the state’s ban on fracking waste. The legislation goes further than current regulations, permanently banning the fuel production byproduct.

“I was proud to be Mayor of South Windsor when we took action on fracking waste, joining dozens of other towns and cities across the state in banning its use,” said Sen. Anwar. “This product represents a significant threat to public health and our natural resources. By taking action now, we prevent any future where fracking waste becomes a nuisance in our state.”

Senate Bill No. 753, “An Act Concerning the State-Wide Ban on Fracking Waste,” expands Connecticut’s current ban on fracking waste. Currently, hydraulic fracking waste, otherwise known as waste created in the process of drawing natural gas, oil and other fuels from the earth’s surface, is banned in the state until the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection adopts regulations regarding it. Under the updated language, collection, storing, disposal and use of fracking waste would be permanently banned in the state.

Before this legislation passed the Senate, it passed the Judiciary Committee unanimously and the Environment Committee by a bipartisan 28-1 vote. The Environment Committee received approximately 100 testimonies expressing concerns over fracking waste’s significant environmental and health hazards. Prior to this legislation, more than 50 towns in Connecticut already enacted similar ordinances banning fracking waste, including Weston and Ridgefield.