Monday, November 07, 2011

Interior Department plans to require disclosure of fracking chemicals used on federal lands

Natural-gas and oil drillers on federal lands may soon be required to reveal all chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing of deep, dense shales, Ayesha Rascoe of Reuters reports. The Interior Department plans to issue a proposal within a couple of months requiring disclosure of the chemicals, with finalized guidelines following within 12 months after the proposal.

The aim is to improve public confidence in fracking through complete disclosure of the chemicals being used, David Hayes, deputy interior secretary, told the Energy Department's shale gas panel. Interior is also planning to develop additional rules to ensure well integrity and manage waste water. Last year about 14 percent of U.S. natural gas production was on federal land and about 90 percent of those wells used hydraulic fracturing, Rascoe reports.

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