Colorado approves nation's toughest fracking rules

 

This week, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission unanimously approved a new rule requiring drillers to disclose all the chemicals -- and their concentrations -- used in the hydraulic fracturing process.

The rule -- which is the toughest one yet in the United States -- came after some intense negotiations among stakeholders, many of whom had concerns that divulging 'trade secret' information would enable competitors to reverse-engineer their products.

As a compromise, the rule will require drillers to identify the chemicals and their concentrations but not specify which products they go into.

There will also be a new form requiring a company to attest -- under penalty of perjury -- that a chemical is proprietary.

Other highlights of the rule:

  • The list of fracking fluid chemicals and concentrations must be filed within 60 days of the fracking job
  • The list will be filed with FracFocus.org, a publicly accessible independent Internet database
  • And background information on fracking must be sent to property owners near wells, including details on how to have a baseline well-water test done.

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