Disclosure of Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Chemical Additives: Analysis of Regulations

Hydraulic fracturing is used to extract natural gas from shale formations. The process involves injecting into the ground fracturing fluids that contain thousands of gallons of chemical additives. Companies are not mandated by federal regulations to disclose the identities or quantities of chemicals...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:New solutions 2013-05, Vol.23 (1), p.167-187
Main Authors: Maule, Alexis L., Makey, Colleen M., Benson, Eugene B., Burrows, Isaac J., Scammell, Madeleine K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chemicals
Disclosure - legislation & jurisprudence
Drinking Water - standards
Environmental health
Environmental Health - legislation & jurisprudence
Extraction and Processing Industry - legislation & jurisprudence
Extraction and Processing Industry - methods
Government Regulation
Hazardous Substances
Humans
Law
Natural Gas
Pennsylvania
Public lands
Public safety
Regulation
State Government
United States
Water - chemistry
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Summary:Hydraulic fracturing is used to extract natural gas from shale formations. The process involves injecting into the ground fracturing fluids that contain thousands of gallons of chemical additives. Companies are not mandated by federal regulations to disclose the identities or quantities of chemicals used during hydraulic fracturing operations on private or public lands. States have begun to regulate hydraulic fracturing fluids by mandating chemical disclosure. These laws have shortcomings including nondisclosure of proprietary or “trade secret” mixtures, insufficient penalties for reporting inaccurate or incomplete information, and timelines that allow for after-the-fact reporting. These limitations leave lawmakers, regulators, public safety officers, and the public uninformed and ill-prepared to anticipate and respond to possible environmental and human health hazards associated with hydraulic fracturing fluids. We explore hydraulic fracturing exemptions from federal regulations, as well as current and future efforts to mandate chemical disclosure at the federal and state level.
ISSN:1048-2911
1541-3772
DOI:10.2190/NS.23.1.j