Drillers May Frack First, Disclose Later Under Draft Plan

[Purveyor]

By Katarzyna Klimasinska - Tue May 01 04:01:58 GMT 2012

Natural-gas companies drilling on U.S. land would be permitted to wait until after hydraulic fracturing is completed to disclose what chemicals they used, under a draft rule being considered by the U.S. Interior Department.

A version in February required companies to file a complete chemical makeup at least 30 days before work began, something energy trade groups, including Washington-based American Exploration and Production Council, complained about. They said it could slow energy production on federal lands.

President Barack Obama has pledged to increase U.S. natural gas production in a way that doesn’t hurt the environment. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, releases gas trapped in shale rock by injecting water, sand and chemicals thousands of feet underground. It’s used for almost every new natural-gas well drilled in the U.S.

Requiring disclosure of chemicals “would only be required after the fracturing operation has taken place,” according to the draft, obtained by Bloomberg News.

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-01/drillers-may-frack-first-disclose-later-under-draft-plan.html

[Autumn]

1. That's just fucking peachy

We all know that the oil and gas companies have our best interests at heart.

[saras]

2. I don't get it. If they're the wrong, toxic chemicals, how do we stop them before they use them?

Seems to be a fatal flaw with the law - kind of like saying that if your victim dies, then you didn't really murder anyone because they're already dead.

[CrispyQ]

3. ...

[Frustratedlady]

4. That makes no sense at all. Who's writing the rules? Lobbyists?

I thought that was under Bush.

Didn't I just read an article that natural gas depositories were full and they couldn't find any more places to store it? Why frack?

Sounds to me that the companies want to get as much as they can before the prices drop to normal.

[hlthe2b]

5. What the hell is wrong with these idiots?

Obviously their intent is NOT to know--plausible deniability--when people start dying.

[Angry Dragon]

6. What a bunch of bullshit