H.R. 6116: Safe Hydration is an American Right in Energy Development Act of 2025

The bill titled **"Safe Hydration is an American Right in Energy Development Act of 2025"** aims to enhance the regulation of hydraulic fracturing (commonly known as fracking) in relation to the protection of underground drinking water sources. Here are the primary components of the bill:

Establishment of Testing Requirements

The bill proposes to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to include specific testing requirements for underground sources of drinking water when conducting hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production. Key points include:

• **Testing Prior to Injection**: Operators must conduct testing of underground drinking water sources before starting hydraulic fracturing operations for the first time at a new site.
• **Ongoing Testing**: For sites where hydraulic fracturing has commenced, ongoing testing is mandated at regular intervals—every six months during operations, and at least annually for five years after operations have ceased.
• **Renewal Testing**: If a site has previously conducted underground injection but is not currently active, testing must occur prior to renewal and during the operational period following the renewal.

Reporting Obligations

The bill requires that results from the testing be submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) within two weeks of the testing, ensuring timely oversight of the data collected.

Exemptions

The testing and reporting requirements do not apply if there is no underground source of drinking water accessible within one mile of the hydraulic fracturing site.

Sampling Locations

Testing must occur at all accessible underground sources of drinking water within a half-mile radius of the fracturing site, or at the nearest available source within one mile if none are accessible within the closer radius.

Standards for Testing

Testing must be conducted by certified laboratories and should check for hazardous substances or pollutants indicative of potential damage from hydraulic fracturing activities.

Data Management

The EPA will be responsible for creating a publicly accessible database of all testing results. This database would allow individuals to search for reports based on ZIP codes, thereby providing transparency about potential impacts on local drinking water sources.

Definition of Terms

The bill defines "accessible underground source of drinking water" as any source that can be reasonably accessed by those conducting hydraulic fracturing operations.

Conforming Amendments

Additions and amendments to existing regulations will be made to ensure that the new testing and reporting requirements are integrated into the current legal framework governing hydraulic fracturing.

Relevant Companies

• XOM - Exxon Mobil Corporation: As an oil and gas company, Exxon Mobil may face increased operational costs due to the mandatory testing and reporting requirements resulting from this bill.
• CVX - Chevron Corporation: Similar to Exxon, Chevron's hydraulic fracturing operations could be directly affected by the need for more extensive monitoring and compliance with the proposed regulations.
• DVN - Devon Energy Corporation: Devon may need to invest in new testing protocols and reporting infrastructures, potentially impacting their operational efficiency.
• PXD - Pioneer Natural Resources Company: As an oil and gas exploration and production company, Pioneer could see an increase in compliance costs associated with the new testing requirements outlined in the bill.