Privately held explorer Chief Oil & Gas LLC plans to voluntarily disclose the hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracing) additives it uses in the Marcellus Shale, the producer said late Wednesday.

Beginning Oct. 1 Dallas-based Chief, which is considered to be one of the top producers in the Marcellus play, said it would voluntarily submit to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection “detailed” information about the hydrofracing additives it uses in those states.

“It is our hope that this voluntary disclosure of the additives used at each well site, along with the volumes, dilution factors and classifications, will help alleviate the public’s concern and increase the open, honest and transparent communication that has been a Chief value since its start in 1994,” said COO Michael Radler.

Range Resources Corp. last month became the first producer to voluntarily submit hydrofracing information to the Pennsylvania DEP (see Daily GPI, Aug. 13). Range also posts hydrofracing information on its website. In addition, EQT Corp. said in late July it voluntarily would provide hydrofrac chemical information for its Marcellus activities (see Daily GPI, July 30).

“The Marcellus Shale is an enormous opportunity for all who live miles above it and Chief is fully committed to working to achieve the proper balance while developing this game-changing U.S. natural gas resource,” Radler said. “Our commitment includes working together with the communities around our operations; respecting and protecting all natural resources; repairing, sometimes in advance, the roads we travel with our trucks and equipment; a focus on hiring locally, which includes working with education and training initiatives and our decade-long dedication to community outreach and education.”

Radler noted that to date, “Chief has hosted or participated in hundreds of community education events throughout the Marcellus Shale and has hosted more than 200 field tours of Chief operations to showcase shale drilling and production.”

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