Interior wants to know about 'fracking' chemicals used in drilling for oil and gas on federal land

The Interior Department may force oil and gas drillers on federal land to reveal what chemicals they use in hydraulic fracturing operations that have opened up tight shale formations for gas production and created concern about water supplies, Secretary Ken Salazar told lawmakers yesterday.

Noelle Straub of Environment and Energy News (subscription-only) reports, "Salazar told the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee that the public must have a level of confidence that the technique is not harming public lands, adding that if people do not know what fluids are being put in the ground due to a faulty disclosure system, it will hurt the industry in the long run," an argument he has apparently made to oil and has executives. "Salazar said he had 'no definitive response' on whether the agency could use its authority to require disclosure, but added, 'It is something we're looking at.'"