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Bill Would Make Companies Reveal Fracking Recipes to Residents

A newly proposed bill could require companies that engage in fracking to notify residents who live near oil and gas wells of the ingredients used in the drilling process.

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Omni Water Solutions chemist, Billy Roberts, holding a bottle of used fracking water from an active gas well. The polluted water is pungent and toxic but once Omni Water Solutions cleans the water it is drinkable.
Credit: Specner Selvidge

A bill filed last week by state Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, could require companies that engage in hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” to notify residents who live near oil and gas wells of the ingredients used in the drilling. House Bill 448 would apply to residents who live within 500 feet of proposed wells. The House Committee on Energy Resources heard testimony from environmentalists who support the bill and from industry representatives who oppose it, primarily because of the required time limit on notification, as drillers often change their “recipes.” Currently, companies can claim exemptions if ingredients are considered proprietary “trade secrets.” — StateImpact Texas

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