TPT July 2012

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communities can test drinking water before fracking occurs, and monitor the safety of water supplies in real time.” As noted by Washington correspondent Neela Banerjee of the Boston Herald , earlier versions of the proposal – discussed by agency officials with representatives of both sets of interests – had in fact called for preliminary disclosure. The shift to notification after the fact can only be read as a concession to the oil and gas companies. (“Obama Administration Issues New Fracking Rules,” 5 May) Industry officials cite wide geological differences region-to- region as a reason for addressing hydraulic fracturing at the state level. And according to the Western Energy Alliance, an industry group based in Denver, operators required to obtain state permits to produce oil and gas on federal lands are already amply supervised. Ms Banerjee wrote, “The alliance and other industry voices assert that regulation of fracking should be left to state regulators, rather than having the federal government impose a ‘one size fits all’ regime.” › Jennifer A Dlouhy of the Houston Chronicle reported (4 May) that several states, including Texas, already require that companies disclose their fracking chemicals (but not their proprietary formulas) on the industry website www.fracfocus. org. She believes the federal rule would probably require disclosure there as well – also with a trade secrets exemption.

Oil and gas By requiring disclosure on chemicals, Washington claims to bolster its supervision of ‘fracking’ on US public lands The US Department of the Interior said 4 May that companies drilling for oil and natural gas on public and Indian lands are to be required to disclose the chemicals used in their hydraulic fracturing operations within 30 days of “fracking” a well on federal land. The process entails the injection into rock formations of millions of gallons of water and sand laced with chemicals to release the oil and gas within the dense rock. Chemicals used in fracking include benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said that the updated rules, which are to be finalised by the end of the year, protect the public while at the same time promoting domestic oil and gas development. But the effort by the Obama administration to strike a compromise on the controversial technique satisfied neither the industry and its allies in Congress nor most environmentalists. Jessica Ennis, legislative representative for the environmental group Earthjustice, said Interior’s proposal falls “far short of what’s needed to protect public health.” In her view, disclosure as to chemical usage by oil and gas companies should be made in advance “so

Dorothy Fabian , Features Editor (USA)

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