The Facts on Fracking Chemical Disclosure

Q: Are the chemicals in fracking solution protected from being made public by a law passed while Dick Cheney was vice president?

A: Yes. A 2005 law bans the federal government from requiring companies to disclose fracking chemicals. But 28 states do require disclosure of some fracking fluids.

FULL QUESTION

Is it true that the chemicals in fracking solution are protected from being made public by a law or bill passed by Congress while Dick Cheney was in President Bush’s cabinet? Is it true that Cheney strong-armed members in Congress to pass the bill? Is it true that the fracking companies don’t have to reveal the chemicals in fracking solution?

FULL ANSWER

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a method used to obtain natural gas and oil from rock formations underground. The process involves injecting water, sand and various chemicals into drilling wells at high pressure, releasing oil and gas that would otherwise be difficult to retrieve.

Fracking gained public attention after the technique led to a boom in U.S. oil and gas production. In 2000, around 26,000 fracked wells produced 3.6 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas. In 2015, 300,000 fracked wells produced more than 53 billion cubic feet per day, according to the Energy Information Administration. The EIA also shows a similar increase for crude oil production over that time period.

Signed into law by President George W. Bush, the  leaves the regulation of fracking to the states,