A bill requiring the disclosure of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is coming up on Friday. Democratic Representative Mary Ann Dunwell is carrying House Bill 243 and says people need to know what is being pumped into the ground beneath their feet to get oil.
“Folks have a right to know what’s going on around them. I mean it’s a property right.”
Republican Representative Tom Richmond is the former director of the Board of oil and Gas. He says new board rules already require chemicals to be posted on FracFocus.org, though with some room for keeping trade secrets.
“People could completely disclose every chemical they were using, but weren’t required to disclose the exact proportions used in each additive.”
The new bill would also require notice of chemical use 45 days prior to fracking, unlike the current 48 hours, and more exact chemical makeup.