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Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act

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The Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act (also known as the FRAC Act) was a legislative proposal first introduced in the United States Congress in 2009. The FRAC Act proposed to rescind exemptions for hydraulic fracturing operations under the Safe Drinking Water Act (thereby enabling the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate some aspects of the fracturing process). In addition, the act proposed requiring disclosure of the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations.[1][2]

Background

See also: Fracking in the United States

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a method of oil and natural gas extraction. The process involves injecting fluid into subterranean rock formation at high pressure, creating a fracture network that allows the crude oil and natural gas inside dense rocks to flow into a wellbore and be extracted at the surface. The fluid used in this process is made up of sand and water, which comprise 95 percent of the fluid, and other chemical additives, which comprise less than 5 percent of the fluid.[3]

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), there were approximately 23,000 hydraulically fractured wells in the United States in 2000. By 2015, there were an estimated 300,000 hydraulically fractured wells. To learn more about fracking, see this article.[4][5]

A provision included in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 exempted hydraulic fracturing operations from federal water laws (namely, the Safe Drinking Water Act).[1][6][7]

Legislative history

DocumentIcon.jpg See bill: H.R. 1921 (Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act of 2013)
DocumentIcon.jpg See bill: S. 1135 (FRAC Act)

The FRAC Act was first introduced on June 9, 2009, in the United States House of Representatives by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-California). Its companion bill in the United States Senate was introduced on the same day by Sen. Robert Casey, Jr. (D-Pennsylvania). Both bills died in committee.[8][9]

The FRAC Act was reintroduced in the House by DeGette on March 15, 2011. Its companion bill in the Senate was reintroduced by Casey on the same day. Again, both bills died in committee.[10][11]

Components

Hydraulic fracturing site.

Chemical contents disclosure

The FRAC Act proposed requiring oil and gas developers to disclose chemicals utilized in the hydraulic fracturing process to the applicable state authority or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The law proposed that the state authority or the EPA be required to make this information available to the public.[12][13]

The FRAC Act also proposed requiring oil and gas developers to disclose "proprietary chemical formulas" utilized in fracturing operations in the event that such information proved necessary for medical treatment. The proposal exempted proprietary information from being disclosed to the public.[12][13]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Pro Publica, "FRAC Act—Congress Introduces Twin Bills to Control Drilling and Protect Drinking Water," June 9, 2009
  2. ↑ GovTrack.us, "H.R. 1921: Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act of 2013," accessed August 8, 2014
  3. ↑ Frack Wire, “What is Fracking,” accessed January 28, 2014
  4. ↑ University of Oklahoma, "Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Resources," accessed March 12, 2014
  5. ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Hydraulic fracturing accounts for about half of current U.S. crude oil production," March 15, 2016
  6. ↑ The New York Times, "Editorial: The Halliburton Loophole," November 2, 2009
  7. ↑ FrackWire, "Halliburton Loophole," June 5, 2013
  8. ↑ GovTrack.us, "H.R. 2766 (111th): Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act of 2009," accessed August 8, 2014
  9. ↑ GovTrack.us, "S. 1215 (111th): Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act (FRAC) Act," accessed August 8, 2014
  10. ↑ GovTrack.us, "H.R. 1084 (112th): Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act of 2011," accessed August 8, 2014
  11. ↑ GovTrack.us, "S. 587 (112th): FRAC Act," accessed August 8, 2014
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 GovTrack.us, "H.R. 1921 Summary," accessed August 8, 2014
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 GovTrack.us, "S. 1135 Summary," accessed August 8, 2014
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