Hydraulic fracturing : chemical disclosure and groundwater protection priorities.

              October 18, 2011
Joe Lee, Past President
Ground Water Protection Council
GWPC is the National Association of State Ground Water and Underground Injection Control Agencies
******
Our Mission is to Promote the Protection and Conservation of Ground Water Resources for all Beneficial Uses, Recognizing Ground Water as a Critical Component of the Ecosystem
Who is the GWPC?
To provide a forum for stakeholder
communication and research in order to improve
governments governments’ role in the protection and
conservation of ground water •1997
– GWPC submitted an amicus brief in the LEAF case
•2000 – Passed a resolution calling on congress to clarify status of HFPassed HF relative to
SDWA
•2000 – Passed a resolution calling for the banning of diesel fuel use in HF in
coalbed methane zones that are also USDWs
•1998 to 2009 Conducted surveys related to hydraulic fracturing r
regulation egulation
•2009 - Provided congressional testimony to House Environment and Natur Natural al
Resources committee
•2009 to 2011 2011– Held HF sessions at UIC Conferences, Annual Forums, NGWA
Meeting and RBDMS Fall TrainingMeeting Training
•2009 - Published 2 reports that included significant discussions of HFPublished HF (Shale Gas
Primer) and (State Regulations Designed to Protect Water Resourc Resources) es)
•2010
- Submitted comment letter to EPA about the scope of HF studySubmitted study
•2010
– GWPC Board passed Resolution 10 10-1: with states, develop HF Registry
•2011
– Working with states and EPA concerning diesel fuel use guidance
•2011
2011– Developing RBDMS HF Schema
•2011 – Published a two state study of contamination incident investiga investigations tions
(categorized by oilfield practice) (September, 2011)
•2011
2011– Launched FracFocus Hydraulic Fracturing Chemical Disclosure RegLaunched Registry istry
•2011
– GWPC Board passed Resolution 11 11-3: reporting all intentional chemicals ◦ University of Texas (HF efficiency)
◦ Resources for the Future (Risk analysis)
◦ Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Water usage)
◦ Many others ( Fluid management, geochemical
interaction, federal lands, safety safety…… …….) .)
◦ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Science Advisory
Board (Evaluation of contamination probabilities) Final
2014
◦ U.S. Department of Energy, Science & Environmental
AAddvviissoorryy BBooaarrdd ((RReeccoommmendations for future actions) August 2011 @
www.shalegas.energy.gov/resources/081111_90_day_r eport.pdf
Ground Water Protection Council USEPA and State Regulatory Actions
◦ Diesel fuel use in HF (Guidance)
September, 2011
 Status
 Legal questions
 State implementation
◦ State disclosure regulations
 Pennsylvania, Montana, Wyoming, Texas, New
Mexico, California, Colorado, West Virginia,
Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana Louisiana…… …….
Ground Water Protection Council- Why FracFocus? FracFocus?-
To provide factual information to the
public about the process of hydraulic
fracturing and the chemicals used in
that process 
Hydraulic Fracturing: How it Works

Groundwater Protection

Regulations by State

Chemical Use

Frequent Questions

Find a Well by State

These elements describe the fracturing process, the methods used to protect groundwater, why chemicals are used and which chemicals are used. To find information about the state regulatory agencies and their regulations. We also provide answers to frequently asked questions and provide a means for the public to pose questions about hydraulic fracturing. The site also allows a person to see the hydraulic fracturing records of individual wells Select a combination of criteria from the listed fields and click on the search buttonIf the search produces results they will be presented as a list from which you can choose a record to view. Click on the pdf logo to see the record.Select a combination of criteria from the listed fields and click on the search button and zoom in on mapNumber and colors in circles indicate number of wells reported in that area given the zoom / scale resolutionSelect a well (“blue drop”) and a description of the well comes up.FracFocus: Growth Chart of Reported Wells Since April 11,
2011 FracFocus has
:
◦ Acquired 66
Participating
companies (49
reporting to date)
◦ Had over 5,200
hydraulic fracturing
records loaded; and
◦ Been visited by more
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 The future of
FracFocus:
◦ Easier search and
record access capability
◦ Operator tools to
facilitate easier record
uploads
◦ Administrative tools to
help operators manage
their records
◦ Communication with
state database systems 
Montana (Rule final)

Louisiana (Rule pending)

Texas (By statute, rule pending)

New Mexico (Proposed rule)

Under consideration
◦
Colorado
◦
Oklahoma
◦
West Virginia
◦
Others?
Ground Water Protection CouncilJoe Lee, Past President
Ground Water Protection Council
www.gwpc.org
www.iogcc.org
www.fracfocus.org