February 2011, Vol. 238 No. 2
In The News
Gas Groups Back State-based Registry Of Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids
Leaders of the Natural Gas Supply Association and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America have announced support for a new state-based registry for companies to voluntarily disclose the contents of fluids used during the hydraulic fracturing (“fracing”) process common in the completion of shale gas wells.
Shale gas accounted for 14% of U.S. production in 2009 and is forecasted to reach 45% by 2035, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The registry is a joint effort by two state regulatory groups tasked with environmental protection and conservation: the Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC) and the Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC).
NGSA President and CEO R. Skip Horvath said, “We applaud this state-led effort to provide greater transparency about hydraulic fracturing and the opportunity to increase public confidence in its safety. Hydraulic fracturing facilitated an enormous increase in the size of the natural gas resource base in the last four years and generated tens of thousands of new jobs in shale-producing states.”
The GWPC/IOGCC state registry will be launched with a public web site where companies voluntarily publish data on their hydraulic fracturing fluid contents. A second phase featuring customizable solutions for state regulators will take place over a few years.
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