Baker Hughes says it will disclose 100 percent of chemicals it uses in fracking operations

Baker Hughes, one of the world's largest oil companies, said it "plans to disclose '100 percent' of the chemicals contained in the mix it uses in the process of fracturing shale formations and drawing oil and natural gas to the surface," Stephanie Ritenbaugh reports for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The disclosures, which can be found on FracFocus, "will include a single list of all of the chemical constituents of the company’s products used on that well, along with their maximum concentrations, without using trade secret designations, the Houston-based oilfield services company said."

Products listed on FracFocus include a list of ingredients and trade names, some with their chemical name and chemical abstract service number withheld as trade secret, Ritenbaugh writes. "In the new format that Baker Hughes will use, the company will list the ingredients of its products without linking them to a specific trade name. The disclosure will include a separate list of all of the ingredients—including their chemical names and chemical abstract numbers—along with the maximum concentration of each ingredient in the overall fracking fluid." (Read more)