A.
This Legislature hereby finds and determines that hydraulic fracturing is a technology used to extract fossil fuels that have collected in layers of porous rock. This Legislature also finds that this technology, commonly referred to as "hydrofracking," involves the high-pressure injection of fresh water mixed with chemicals and sand through a well into a rock formation, which causes fractures in the rock and the release of natural gas which is captured for further processing and use. This Legislature determines that a certain percentage of the highly toxic fracturing fluid mixture, commonly referred to as "flowback water," returns to the surface with the gas and additional contaminants, including volatile organic compounds, heavy metals, high-salinity brine and radioactive elements.
B.
This Legislature also finds that the County of Suffolk previously recognized the environmental and public health concerns associated with the by products of hydrofracking, prohibiting the County's sewage treatment facilities from accepting the byproducts of hydraulic fracturing (Resolution No. 244-2012) and prohibiting the use of hydraulic fracturing brine on County property or roadways (Resolution No. 1006-2012). This Legislature further finds that several states and municipalities, including the Counties of Westchester and Rockland, have enacted laws to prohibit the use or sale of hydrofracking byproducts within their jurisdictions. This Legislature concludes that the County of Suffolk must take additional steps at this time to ensure that the waste products generated by hydrofracking do not threaten the environment of Suffolk County or the health of its citizens. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to prohibit the sale of hydrofracking byproducts in Suffolk County, to bar the introduction of these byproducts into the County's wastewater treatment facilities and to prohibit the use of these byproducts on any roads within the County's boundaries.