Natural Gas: A Clean Energy Alternative
Earth Day 2011: A Cleaner Energy Future with Natural Gas
ANGA member companies are committed to the safe and responsible development of natural gas. This means being responsive to the questions raised in the communities where we work, particularly those communities that are less familiar with our operations. That is why we support public disclosure of the additives used in the hydraulic fracturing process through the state-run fracfocus.org website.
It is our hope that with this greater transparency will come greater public confidence in the safety of the hydraulic fracturing process. Our member companies support disclosure of hydraulic fracturing fluids through a state-based registry launched by the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) and the Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC), which is publicly accessible at FracFocus.org. While this registry is supported by industry, state regulators run it. Virtually all ANGA member companies are participating in this registry.
Companies voluntarily disclosing data on FracFocus include hydraulic fracturing chemicals on a well-by-well basis on public and private lands. Information is provided on a mass percentage basis for each additive as well as for the portion of each additive in the overall hydraulic fracturing fluid, which is comprised of 99.5% water and sand. The website includes all chemicals that would appear on Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) that are available on site at each well. The registry protects information deemed proprietary trade secrets (although federal law requires this information be made available to emergency workers in the event of an incident). Fracfocus.org was jointly developed and is run by GWPC and IOGCC.
The Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) is a multi-state government agency that works to ensure that natural gas, among other energy sources, is developed while protecting health, safety and the environment.
The Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC) is a non-profit whose members consist of state ground water regulatory agencies that mutually work toward the protection of the nation's ground water supplies. GWPC works to promote the use of best management practices and balanced policies to ensure comprehensive ground water protection.
