CASPER, Wyo.—Wyoming regulators have agreed not to identify 146 chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing since disclosure rules took effect nearly a year ago.
The Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission granted trade-secret exemptions to 11 companies, the Casper Star-Tribune reported Thursday ( ).
Exemption requests from two companies were rejected, said Tom Doll, supervisor of the oil and gas commission. No company requested a blanket exemption.
Hydraulic fracturing or fracking involves pumping a high-pressure mix of water and chemicals to crack rock formations deep underground and release oil and gas. The practice has taken on national importance as companies use it in more states.
Land owners, environmental groups and others have raised questions about potential contamination of drinking water and health effects. Some groups advocate for full disclosure of all fracking chemicals.
Doll said 37 percent of the chemicals granted exemptions in Wyoming are used as tracers to show the reach of the underground fractures. Tracers could help prove or disprove claims that fracking harms drinking water, he said.
Doll said tracers cost thousands of dollars.
“If you didn’t care if that frack went up or out, you wouldn’t be spending that kind of money,” he told members of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming meeting in Casper. “So I think that’s a good story.”
Doll said 50 percent of the exempted chemicals are used to fracture shale. The purpose of the other 13 percent wasn’t clear.
According to the oil and gas commission website, the companies that received the exemptions were CESI Chemical Inc., Nalco Co., CalFrac Well Services Corp., Multi-Chem Group LLC, Baker Hughes, Halliburton Energy Services Inc., BJ Services Co., Core Lab Reservoir Optimization, SNF Inc., Spectrum Tracer Services, and Water Mark Technologies Inc.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper this month proposed a disclosure rule for fracking chemicals used in his state.
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Information from: Casper Star-Tribune – Casper,
