Microsoft Office Outlook - Memo Style - Montana Board of Oil and Gas

Richmond, Tom
From: Gale, Charles [charles.gale@business.umt.edu]
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2011 10:52 AM
To: DNR FracComments
Subject: Please stop the disclosure of toxic chemicals used in Fracking
To the Board of Oil and Gas.
I am a born and raised Montanan. I have an increasing concern for the disclosure of toxic chemicals used in fracking
process. As a recent graduate of Resource Conservation with a minor in Climate Change Studies at the University of
Montana, I can attest that this information needs to be available to the public. I acknowledge our society is based
around fossil fuels and I understand oil will be a staple diet of our energy consumption. However if the process of
fracking is a clean process with no negative impact on the water quality of the surrounding area, I see no reason why the
information about the toxins cannot be released. If big oil and gas companies have a large share hold in the fossil fuel
market, then the trade secrets should not be released. Although as I am informed the processes involve in fracting is
know throughout the fossil fuel industry. So why confuse the public with disclosing this information. Let this information
be relayed to the public, so as the public does not have to find the information from a potentially misinformed source.
Please do not pass the rules regarding the disclosure of potentially toxic chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. Similar
disclosure rules were enacted in Wyoming in 2010 and water contamination is now being investigated around oil
fracking sites.
Thank you for understanding my comments.
Sincerely,
Charles B Gale
Research Assistant- Forest Industry Research
Bureau of Business and Economic Research
PH: (406) 243-4517
Fax: (406) 243-2086
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