The U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) would require companies drilling on public lands to disclose the chemicals used in their hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations, according to a draft of proposed BLM regulations acquired by NGI‘s Shale Daily.

At least 30 days before well stimulation begins, companies would be required to submit information about the operations, including a report “that discloses all additives of the proposed stimulation fluid by additive trade name and purpose,” and the “complete chemical makeup of all materials used in the proposed stimulation fluid,” according to the draft regulations.

“We believe natural gas is a significant part of our energy portfolio for the future, but as we have now developed a 100-year supply of natural gas in the continental United States, we need to make sure that that natural gas is being developed in a way that’s not going to destroy our environment that we care so much about,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said during a webcast Friday afternoon.

“In the history of fracking we don’t know instances where fracking has contaminated water, but we do know that there are ways in which fracking could be a problem. So what we want to do is we want to make sure that there is disclosure because it’s important that people understand what is being injected into the underground. There’s no reason for oil and gas companies to keep that secret, so the president in the State of the Union called for disclosure of those materials.”

In his State of the Union speech last month, President Obama reiterated the administration’s position for requiring disclosure of chemicals used in fracking, saying “America will develop this resource without putting the health and safety of our citizens at risk” (see Shale Daily, Jan. 26).

(To read the full story go to www.shaledaily.com).

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