DENVER—Colorado regulators have approved new rules requiring energy companies to publicly disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing but allowing them to protect trade secrets and to provide 48 hours notice before pumping chemicals underground.
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission unanimously approved the rules Tuesday. The process also known as fracking involves blasting water, sand and chemicals into rock formations to free oil and natural gas that’s credited for playing a role in opening up many gas reserves.
Under the regulations, a company can claim a trade secret but has to explain why it should be protected. In those cases, the company would be required to publicly release information about the chemical family and concentration. Detailed would be available in case of emergencies.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
Colorado regulators meet Tuesday to consider proposed new regulations for hydraulic fracturing, a process known as fracking that involves blasting water, sand and chemicals into rock formations to free oil and natural gas that’s credited for playing a role in opening up many gas reserves.
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is scheduled to vote on whether to require natural gas drillers to disclose all the ingredients in their fracking fluid. It’s also considering whether to give local officials 48 hours’ notice of fracking operations.
Commission Director Dave Neslin said commissioners were to review draft findings issued by the Environmental Protection Agency last week that found a possible link between groundwater pollution and hydraulic fracturing beneath Pavillion, Wyo. The EPA found compounds likely associated with fracking chemicals in the groundwater beneath the small central Wyoming community where residents complain their well water smells like chemicals. Health officials last year advised residents not to drink their well water after the EPA found low levels of hydrocarbons.
Industry officials pointed out that the EPA announcement didn’t focus on the domestic water wells but two wells drilled somewhat deeper into the aquifer specifically to test for pollution. The owner of the Pavillion gas field, Calgary, Alberta-based Encana, said the compounds could have had other origins not related to gas development.
Companies have been fracking for decades, but as drilling expands to more populated areas, residents near wells have expressed concerns about potential effects on their health and drinking water.
Halliburton and others have said they would support listing the ingredients, but they don’t want to publicly disclose their amounts.
In recent years, Arkansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wyoming have proposed or adopted rules requiring disclosure of fracking chemicals. Only Texas and Colorado, however, have moved to require disclosure of all chemicals, not just those considered hazardous by workplace regulators, industry representatives said.
Gov. John Hickenlooper called for Colorado to draft a disclosure rule and the commission proposed having companies list nonproprietary ingredients and concentrations on FracFocus.org, a national website created by two intergovernmental agencies. The rule was proposed to take effect Feb. 1, but commission staff recommended delaying that until April 1 to give drillers more time to comply.
Commission staff said a survey of Colorado disclosures on FracFocus.org show a small percentage claim trade secrets, though the website includes only voluntary disclosures. Companies on the website say the fluid is mostly water mixed with sand and small percentages of petroleum chemicals and alcohols such as Isopropanol, which is used in rubbing alcohol, while some contain hydrochloric acid.
