U.S. to require disclosure of fracking fluids on public land

[Akoto]

(Reuters) - The U.S. government will require natural gas drillers to disclose which chemicals they use in hydraulic fracturing on public lands, according to draft rules crafted by the Interior Department.

President Barack Obama pledged in the State of the Union address last week that the government would develop a road map for responsible natural gas production and roll out new rules to ensure drillers protect the environment.

Companies would be required to disclose the "complete chemical makeup of all materials used" in fracking fluids under the Interior Department's draft rules, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters.

The industry objected to any rule that would force drillers to reveal the chemicals used in fracking, during which chemical-laced water and sand are blasted deep below ground to release oil and natural gas trapped within rock formations. Fracking has allowed companies to tap a wealth of new natural gas reserves but critics say the procedure has polluted water and air.

LINK: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/03/us-usa-fracking-interior-idUSTRE8121ZT20120203

[joshcryer]

1. Vast majority of shale gas is on BLM land, so this is excellent. <- incorrect

I was uninformed, I found this: http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/560378/Conservancy--State-forests-at-risk.html?nav=5011

[DURHAM D]

6. Huh?

Source?

[montanacowboy]

2. But that is ONLY public land

the Gasland guy was just on Big Ed and he said this won't help because public lands are just a tiny part of it, plus the fact that the cement casing problem cannot be solved. With over 600 carcinogenic chemicals being put into the water supply, it can become contaminated forever.

[joshcryer]

4. You got a source for that? 1.9 million acres of BLM leases for shale.

[montanacowboy]

9. The maker of the movie Gasland

was just on Ed Schultz and said that public lands are only a small fraction compared to all the private lands that are being leased. He has been all around the country talking to people who's lands have fracking on them, and is now ready to release Gasland II

[joshcryer]

13. OK I kept digging and I found this, it appears you are correct, I stand corrected:

http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/560378/Conservancy--State-forests-at-risk.html?nav=5011

Took me awhile to find this though.

Apparently there are already 10 million acres leased (presumably mostly private lands).

Still trying to find nice hard data, it's been quite stubborn.

[DURHAM D]

12. A small sample for you -

The total land area in Kansas is 52,361,523.2 acres. The state has few large towns so most is farm and ranch land. All of those acres can be (or have been) leased for oil/gas exploration and production. IOWs the BLM's number of acres they influence is a drop in the bucket when you add up all the farm and ranch land in all the other 23 states (most are larger than Kansas) available for oil and gas exploration.

On Edit: Wasn't really thinking when I excluded towns and cities. Oklahoma City has wells all over the city and the state capital building has a well directly beneath it.

[joshcryer]

16. I stand corrected, Marcellus formation though is not the same as, say, Green River.

I'm pretty sure that Green River, for example, is almost entirely BLM land.

[TheWraith]

3. Before anyone makes the obvious comment about PRIVATE land...

...currently fracking enjoys an exemption from the Clean Drinking Water Act, said exemption passed in 2005, and requiring universal disclosure would also require new legislation to close that exemption.

[peacebird]

25. Good grief. I did not know that...... We are so totally screwed.

[L. Coyote]

29. That is known as the Bush Junta's Halliburton Exemption, created for just one company, Cheney's

That legal nicety gave them a monopoly on destroying the future

[DURHAM D]

5. Total Bull Shit ...

Department of Interior is only trying to protect public lands. Public lands are a very, very, very small area of drilling/fracking. Frankly there should be NO drilling of any kind on public lands. That would be news.

But more importantly fracking/drilling is now happening in half of our states on private lands with no control by the federal government. That means we have no knowledge of what toxic chemicals are being injected into the ground because of a 2005 exemption for oil and gas companies as regards water.

Obama is totally missing the basics on this issue (like BP's gulf blowout) or maybe he hopes to get away with lying to us by telling us just a half-truth.

[TheWraith]

17. Did you even read my post above you before you rushed in to bash Obama?

I explained WHY the government LEGALLY CANNOT require disclosure of fracking chemicals on private lands until the exception in the Safe Drinking Water Act is fixed.

[DURHAM D]

18. Nice try but no prize for you.

Obama should talk about the need to change the 2005 exemption. That would be a step. Instead he did a bait and switch in the SOTU address. He gets no points for this. But he clearly has fooled a few folks.

JFTR - I am under no requirement to read anything you write. Actually, I generally ignore you.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

7. Any word on "private" lands?

[DURHAM D]

8. No

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

11. Misdirection.

My guess.

[DURHAM D]

14. He did exactly that in the SOTU.

[joshcryer]

15. Easy enough committment to make, BLM had already stated they were going to be more stringent...

...on fracking, iirc.

[DURHAM D]

19. Perhaps this best explains Obama's wrong position on fracking.

He voted for the 2005 Energy Policy Act.

From Wikipedia - "The Act was voted on and passed twice by the United States Senate, once prior to conference committee, and once after. In both cases, there were numerous senators who voted against the bill. John McCain, the Republican Party nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 election voted against the bill. Democrat Barack Obama, the current President of the United States, voted in favor of the bill."

[CAPHAVOC]

20. What the Frack is Fracking?

Sounds like something to do on Saturday night. But if we have to Frack we are low on gas. Or it is too expensive.

[BeHereNow]

22. Do a search on the documentary "Gasland"

Fracking is a VERY bad thing on SO many levels-
Welcome to DU!
And thank you for your service to our country.
BHN

On edit:
Here is a link to the documentary trailer.

http://gaslandthemovie.com/trailer

The web site is a good place to learn about fracking.

Be sure to click on the right side of the screen to watch
the featured video about the Delaware river-
It will make you furious.

[L. Coyote]

30. The GASLAND trailer = Don't drink the flammable water, don't breathe the toxic air

Good luck with the latter

[cheapdate]

21. This is a sound, common-sense measure

that will provide actual answers to the questions, claims, and counter-claims of fracking proponents and opponents.

[ellisonz]

23. They shouldn't have gotten the exemption from the Clean Water Act in the first place. n/t

[Tripod]

24. This has potential, but at this point it's BS.

I don't blame the government, or people wanting to make money, This is one of the reasons our country is great! But I'm scared of fracking,,, and nuclear power plants, many things have gone wrong so far. And I'm still supprised that no one has commented to a few of my post regarding this... Last year Obahma passed a law that the public doesn't need to be notified any more, when there is a new off shore drilling project,,, just months after the BP disastere. WTF. Am I the only one aware of this? I saw the story on MSNBC.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

27. Fracking should be stopped

earthquakes!!

[L. Coyote]

28. When will they have to adhere to the Clean Water Act?

So what if we know the extent of our poisoning if they still can poison us? Make it STOP!

[Hotler]

31. More god damn big government.

[hunter]

32. The CEO's of these fracking companies should have to drink a liter of these fracking fluids a day...

... for two years before they are approved for use.