Senate Bill 1444, which would streamline helium exploration in Arizona while preventing contamination of aquifers, has moved one step closer to becoming law, having passed the Senate Natural Resources Committee with a 5-2 vote.
The bill requires that helium exploration companies ensure their operations are designed, constructed, operated, and maintained to not discharge a contaminant into an aquifer.
Additionally, it hopes to provide a viable new source of revenue for the state to support education in some of the most economically challenged counties in Arizona.
The bill now advances to the Rules Committee, with a full Senate vote expected soon before proceeding to the Arizona House of Representatives.
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