Texans not sold on fracking disclosure

Oklahoma is poised to become one of a growing number of states to require energy companies to disclose the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing of oil and natural gas wells.

State regulators approved disclosure rules last month, but they still must be approved by the Legislature.

Texas began requiring chemical disclosure on Feb. 1, directing producers to FracFocus.org to log the details of their fracturing operations.

Nearly 6,000 Texas wells have been added to the registry created last year by the Ground Water Protection Council and Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, but some state residents still are not satisfied, according to Houston Chronicle report.

“The regulation is fine, but it’s not going to do any good. No one will know how to interpret what things go into the frack job one way or another, whether it’s doing any harm or good,” said David Trotter, an oil and gas attorney who is a partner in a 4,500-acre Texas ranch.

The newspaper reports FracFocus shows that drillers employ chemicals such as hydrochloric acid and methanol to help free oil and gas deposits in the shale rock. Chemicals are a small part of the overall mix, which is mostly water and sand.

The online registry includes a section about chemicals are using in hydraulic fracturing.

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