U.S. takes first step toward fracking disclosure rules

Reuters ^ | May 9, 2014 | By Valerie Volcovici

[Brad from Tennessee]

(Reuters) - The Obama administration announced its first steps on Friday toward possibly tighter regulation of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, seeking public input on whether companies should be required to disclose the contents of fluids used in the oil and natural gas drilling technique.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it would gather public comment for 90 days on whether to require chemical manufacturers to disclose the contents of fluids they inject into shale seams to release trapped oil or gas.

Fracking technology has sparked a boom in U.S. energy production, but critics worry that it is polluting drinking water supplies. The environmental group Earthjustice petitioned the EPA to consider the rules on fracking fluids.

"Today's announcement represents an important step in increasing the public's access to information on chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing activities," said James Jones, EPA's assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.

Hydraulic fracturing is now regulated by the states, with no significant federal oversight.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Have to find some way to make US energy prices "necessarily skyrocket."

The new fake science front will be about how dangerous fracking is. Get your "research" grants while their hot!

[JimSEA]

By Fall, no new fracking. By January, so many required studies and regulations it won’t be an option.

[doc1019]

Here we go. The Government has to control everything. Control gives them the ability to tax and restrict.

[Texas resident]

Leave it to demonrats to destroy the one industry that is thriving and hiring lots of Americans.

[PapaNew]

Nuke the unconstitutional, unauthorized, unaccountable Administrative State.

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.

[Frank_2001]

Frack those fracking disclosure rules! ;)

[Calusa]

The government is an auto-immune disease destroying the country. There doesn’t seem to be any means to escape this death spiral.

[Cheerio]

Obie has got to shut down all carbon based fuel sources. It is a religion with him and his fellow liberal earth worshipping morons.

[Graewoulf]

If yuh gotta a secret,
Just tell it to the Feds,
They will make sure
That your company
Stays in the Red.

Feds can help,
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
Feds can help.
Feds can help.

If your profit needs a loss,
And the competition has no clue,
As to what
They should do,
Feds can help,
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
Feds can help.
They will sure make you pay,
Feds can help.
Feds can help.
Feds can help.
La, la, la,
Feds can help - - - - .

[Music is optional.]

[Rembrandt]

So now we see, the EPA plans a 90 day input period prior to banning fracking on some spurious finding(s).

[spokeshave]

Here is the list of most of the components used in Fracking:

Water

Sand

Glass beads

Acetic Acid....(that's vinegar for those in Rio Vista)

WD-40

(at least it doesn't contain phosphoric acid...which is classed as a toxic material....hint...take a look at the ingredients in your favorite soft drink)

[Brad from Tennessee]

Along with all his other dangerous traits Obama is first and foremost a Chicago crook. Who benefits from the suppression of U.S. oil and gas production and how much money will they pay? At the top of a long list would be OPEC.

[Dusty Road]

Those in the business already know but for those here who are curious let me help you out. By the time we’re ready to frac the entire length of the well is incased in steel and cement. In the upper levels we’re talking multiple layers. Once drilling is completed we go down to the selected area and use what is called a perforating gun which uses a series of shaped charges that shoot out into the formation and crack it. At this point nothing but water and mud have been used to push drilled material back to the surface where it is caught and filtered in the pit’s for reuse.
At this point we’re ready to frac and we use down hole packers to isolate the area. We then hit that area with enough pressure to over ride the existing down hole pressure to extend and open up the fractures created by peroration. Once the fractures have been opened up sand or glass beads are pumped into that area to keep those fractures opened up and stop them from collapsing when the pressure is dropped.
Then the bore and formation are flushed with freshwater to clean everything up then allowed to blow down and let the formation come in and push itself to the surface which is captured in horizontal tanks called frac tanks. When it has flowed back and the gas is clean enough to sell it goes by flow line to the battery’s read for sale.
What never gets mentioned in these stories is everything pumped down hole is pushed back to the surface by pressure formation and recovered at the surface either in pits or tanks. Let me also say that this whole process takes place thousands of feet below the fresh water bed and completely isolated from contamination.

[Dusty Road]

Let me add that what I described is a very simple frac job they can get more complicated when horizontal wells are involved and require many more stages of frac’s.

[thackney]

BTTT