NC's fracking disclosure regulations on hold

May 6, 2013 | By Travis Mitchell

The North Carolina Mining and Energy Commission has delayed final approval of new hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking", disclosure rules after facing pushback from industry giant Halliburton.

The final draft of the Chemical Disclosure Requirements created procedures for the permitting, operating, monitoring and reporting of fracking operations, which are becoming more widespread as the nation's natural gas industry continues to grow.

The Charlotte Observer reported last week that the fate of the proposal is now uncertain, as the Commission works with Halliburton to reduce the scope of the regulations.

Specifically, the rules would require fracking operators to notify county emergency responders as to the quantity and type of chemicals being used during the process at least 30 days in advance of any new drilling. It would also mandate that operators fill out a detailed chemical disclosure form within 15 days of completing a fracking project.

The rules would not require vendors to disclose "chemicals that occur incidentally or are otherwise present in trace amounts," according to the proposal. Companies would also be exempt from identifying chemical ingredients that are considered to be trade secrets, unless mandated to do so by the North Carolina Business Court.

The proposal notes that operators will upload the data to the online FracFocus Chemical Disclosure Registry, which recently came under scrutiny by the Harvard Environmental Law Program's Policy Initiative.

For more:
-see the proposed rules
-see this article

http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/ncs-fracking-disclosure-regulations-hold/2013-05-06