White House reviews fracking legislation
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has received a draft legislation covering fracking operations in the US for review. The draft proposals have met with strong opposition from industry groups.
The draft legislation would require shale producers to disclose the chemicals used in the fracking process as well as monitoring annulus pressure and submitting a continuous record of pressure during well stimulation. The regulations do, however, allow for some exemptions if revealing the fluid composition risks damaging intellectual property rights.
The American Petroleum Institute has objected strongly to these proposals, citing the fact that many shale operators voluntarily submit information regarding the chemicals they use when fracking on the FracFocus website.
US Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar claimed that many industry operators would appreciate the legislation, as they could follow one set of procedures that would be applicable to all states.
There are however, some high-profile figures, such as Doc Hastings the Chair of the Committee on Natural Resources, who vehemently disagree with Salazar’s statement, claiming that “Such a framework or model would be counterproductive given the efforts by state governments to tailor regulation to local demands.”
The Interior Secretary’s office stated that the formerly released rules would differ from those of the draft legislation.
Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/17022012/white_house_reviews_fracking_legislation/
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