Microsoft Office Outlook - Memo Style - Montana Board of Oil and Gas
Microsoft Office Outlook - Memo Style - Montana Board of Oil and Gas
Microsoft Office Outlook - Memo Style - Montana Board of Oil and Gas
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Richmond, Tom<br />
From: Barbara & Tom [archtul@bresnan.net]<br />
Sent: Saturday, June 11, 2011 12:36 PM<br />
To: DNR FracComments<br />
Subject: RE Need for Fracking Transparency<br />
To the <strong>Montana</strong> <strong>Board</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Oil</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Gas</strong> Conservation:<br />
Protection <strong>of</strong> trade secrets should not supersede l<strong>and</strong>owners <strong>and</strong> the public’s right to know.<br />
Allowing drillers to list natural gas fracturing (known as fracking) fluid ingredients as<br />
“proprietary” or as “non hazardous ingredients” is irresponsible at best <strong>and</strong> potentially<br />
criminal in a worse case scenario. It is critical that the State <strong>of</strong> <strong>Montana</strong>, as well as the Federal<br />
government step up to the plate <strong>and</strong> require written notice <strong>of</strong> fracking chemicals to<br />
l<strong>and</strong>owners, as well as public disclosure <strong>and</strong> chemical information to emergency workers.<br />
Wyoming has recently, through a rule‐making process, begun disclosure <strong>of</strong> fracking fluids with<br />
great success <strong>and</strong> few complaints from the industry. This is a common sense protection for the<br />
health <strong>of</strong> our citizens. And if the fracking fluids are safe, as industry claims, disclosure will<br />
show that. And if they are suspected <strong>of</strong> causing a health problem or <strong>of</strong> contaminating a well,<br />
aquifer, or surface water, it is critical that l<strong>and</strong>owners <strong>and</strong> all other affected citizens as well as<br />
local government <strong>of</strong>ficials <strong>and</strong> other government <strong>of</strong>ficials are wholly aware <strong>of</strong> the chemicals in<br />
question so as to be able to formulate the correct remedial response.<br />
In fracking, 435 chemical products are known to be used. Out <strong>of</strong> that, only 5% <strong>of</strong> the specific<br />
chemicals have been publicly disclosed. Fracking fluids have been known to travel 3,000 feet<br />
away from a drilling well. While there is an effort to bring fracking fluids back to the surface<br />
<strong>and</strong> properly dispose <strong>of</strong> them, between 20‐70% <strong>of</strong> the fluids remain underground. It’s possible<br />
that l<strong>and</strong>owners <strong>and</strong> others in a natural gas development area will have to deal with the<br />
repercussions <strong>of</strong> injecting tons <strong>of</strong> hazardous chemicals into the ground long after the gas wells<br />
have run dry. They at least need to know what it is that they may be facing in the future.<br />
Cc: Senator Baucus, Senator Testor, Rep Rehberg<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Tom Tully <strong>and</strong> Barbara Archer<br />
2210 Pryor Ln<br />
Billings, MT 59102<br />
archtul@bresnan.net<br />
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