a strengthened Democratic majority in Congress and the party's capture of the White House in last year's election, the fracturing legislation is viewed as having its best chance at passage in years. Its House sponsor, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), aims to attach a bill to a larger piece of legislation with broad support -- possibly a bill on climate change or a new energy policy measure – where it would be shielded from industry resistance. On the Senate side, according to congressional staff close to the effort, Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) has a companion bill ready to follow.
ProPublica, May 26, 2009
Hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fraccing’ is a process that helps stimulate natural gas production in gasfields, particularly for ‘tight sands,’ shale plays, and coalbed methane development.
**Crossposted at ColoradoPols.com**
During a typical fraccing operation, millions of gallons of fluid—a mixture of sand, water, and a ‘proprietary’ mix of chemicals—are injected into the ground at high pressure to fracture, or split, the gas-bearing formations and allow higher quantities of gas to flow to the well and thus off to market.
A growing number of states, gaspatch communities, and residents are becoming increasingly concerned about the presence of these unknown chemicals in their midst, the regulation of which was exempted from the Safe Drinking Water Act by the then Republican-controlled Congress in 2005.
Concerns include the effects of toxic spills and exposures—like aDurango ER nurse that was sent to the ICU last year after treating an oilfield worker exposed to undisclosed fraccing chemicals—as well as contamination of ground water sources.
9 News reports:
"We're starting to see complaints by people that live in the area," said Geoffrey Thyne, a professor at Colorado School of Mines.
For years, Thyne has been studying the technique often used to remove gas from the ground.
It's called hydraulic fracturing, or fracing (pronounced "fracking"), and it involves injecting chemical-filled fluid thousands of feet below the surface, which expands existing fractures in the rock and allows gas to rise.
Allegations are now popping up across the country that fracing is contaminating groundwater and causing illnesses and environmental problems.
But Thyne says no one can prove a link because no one outside the oil and gas companies knows what chemicals are going into the ground.
"Without that knowledge, then there's always going to be some ambiguity or lack of positive assignment of responsibility," Thyne said.
The oil and gas industry won the right to keep their chemical mixture secret in 2005, when the government exempted fracing from the Safe Drinking Water Act.
"The federal government has said you can't make any rules about hydraulic fracing even though any other type of material injected into the subsurface has to meet federal or state guidelines," Thyne said.
Dick Cheney's old outfit, Halliburton, is a pioneer in fraccing technology, and led the charge last year to stop the State of Colorado from requiring disclosure of these unknown toxins being trucked through our towns and pumped by the truckload into the ground--of which 30% or more are never recovered.
"The rule would need us to identify the chemicals (used in drilling), the volumes and concentrations," said Ron Heyden, a Halliburton executive, while testifying at a hearing before the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in Denver. "It is much like asking Coca-Cola to disclose the formula of Coke."
Halliburton's testimony came as commission staff, along with Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment officials, explained how the proposed rule would help health-care personnel in cases of drilling accidents if workers were exposed to various chemicals.
According to the ProPublica article:
The drilling process involves injecting millions of gallons of water and sand mixed with tens of thousands of gallons of chemicals -- some that are known to cause cancer -- deep into the ground, where as much as a third of those fluids typically remain after the gas is removed.
Global companies including Halliburton and Schlumberger have fought hard to shield from public view the chemical recipes they use to drill, saying that the formulas are valuable trade secrets. Scientists say that is precisely the information they need to determine if drilling caused the water pollution that has been reported in Colorado and elsewhere.
No other industry in the United States is exempted from the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act, according to the article.
The Safe Drinking Water Act, enacted in 1974, governs what chemicals can be injected underground and applies to essentially every industrial activity in the United States. It limits what levels of pollution are allowed, but then permits states to create more detailed regulations if they choose. The law also sets minimum standards for well design and other protections of health and safety.
"We are not aware of any other industries that have an exemption," said Stephen Heare, director of the Drinking Water Protection Division at the Environmental Protection Agency.
As the law currently stands, the EPA is not allowed to set conditions for hydraulic fracturing or even require states to have regulations of their own.
Congresswoman DeGette and Senator Casey are to be commended for their efforts to protect our water and natural resources. Those living in Colorado's 1st CD and Pennsylvania should give their offices a call, and thank them for their leadership on this issue.
Protecting our water supplies should not be left up to companies like Halliburton, based in Dubai, who want to pretend that the toxic cocktails they are injecting into the ground are no more harmful than a fizzy drink.
UPDATE: Contact Sen. Casey at Phone: (202) 224-6324
Toll Free: (866) 802-2833 Fax: (202) 228-0604
Contact Rep. DeGette at Phone: (202) 225-4431 Fax: (202) 225-5657