New legislation in pipeline to force chemicals disclosure in US fracking

New fracking legislation in the US will require gas drillers to disclose the chemicals used on public lands.

Regulation of fracking, or hydraulic fracturing – perhaps the most environmentally sensitive issue in the oil and gas industry – is long-awaited. It will compel companies practising the operation – in which fractures are created in rock with pressurised fluid, allowing access to oil and natural gas – to report the ‘complete chemical make-up of all materials used’.  

President Barack Obama has joined the debate, saying the government will issue a guide for monitoring and implementing the draft rules. These rules will also propose mandatory safety procedures to prevent water contamination, the principal environmental damage caused by fracking.

Along with the make-up of their chemicals, companies will also have to disclose information such as the source and expected transport and outflow route for water used in the procedure.

However, disclosures will not have to be made public, and there are some exemptions – to protect trade secrets, for example.

The interior department will consult on its proposals before ratifying them, but a specific timetable has not been outlined. The industry has previously rejected outright any rule forcing it to reveal chemical usage on the grounds that it already voluntarily discloses information on some fluids used.

Reid Porter, a spokesman at the American Petroleum Institute, said: “The federal government should not add bureaucratic layers where disclosure is already occurring.”

But the interior department said: “We will continue to gather public input throughout this process to ensure that the disclosure rule enhances public confidence in hydraulic fracturing on public lands, while also encouraging continued safe and responsible exploration and production for many decades to come.”