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GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado — Garfield County Commissioner John Martin may not have taken a formal position concerning a proposal to list “frac'ing” — shorthand for hydraulic fracturing of a natural gas well — as one of the industrial activities covered by the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) of 1974.
But at a meeting this week, Martin left little doubt as to how he feels about the so-called FRAC Act — an acronym for the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act — which was introduced in June in both houses of the U.S. Congress.
“I'm not interested,” Martin told the county's oil and gas expert, Judy Jordan, as she prepared to give a presentation on the FRAC Act at the commission's regular meeting on Monday.
“I don't know of one legislator from the Western Slope of Colorado who is in support of it,” Martin continued, possibly a reference to the fact that Rep. John Salazar, who represents the 3rd Congressional District and Garfield County, has yet to declare support for the bill.
The practice of frac'ing, generally deemed essentially to improving access to deeply buried natural gas deposits, was exempted from the SDWA in the 2005 Energy Policy Act, widely condemned by environmental watchdogs as a move by former Vice President Dick Cheney to do the bidding of friends in the oil and gas business. The FRAC Act would amend the SDWA to specifically include frac'ing.
In hydraulic fracturing, drilling companies force a mixture of water and solids down a well to break up the rock thousands of feet below the surface, and a major part of the FRAC Act would require that the ingredients of the frac'ing fluids be revealed to government regulators because of potential health and environmental hazards. Proprietary information such as the exact recipe used by individual companies would remain secret unless needed for medical treatment of people exposed to the fluids.
The gas industry argues that the FRAC Act would be an unneeded additional layer of regulation, because state regulations already exert varying degrees of control over frac'ing, including a Colorado provision requiring that the general makeup of the frac'ing fluids be submitted to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and be made available to medical personnel when necessary.
Critics, however, maintain that the state's regulation is insufficient, and because some of the substances used are carcinogenic but are never revealed to the public, these critics want greater transparency in the process.
The cities of Glenwood Springs and Carbondale, as well as Pitkin County, have endorsed the legislation, according to Kris Eisenla, spokesman for one of the sponsors of the House bill, Diana DeGette, D-Boulder. Eisenla said in an e-mail that seven other towns or counties around the state also have endorsed the bill, as have three municipalities and two counties in New York state, a township in Pennsylvania and a city in Texas, all areas where gas drilling takes place.
“The FRAC Act simply requires the oil and gas industry to follow the same rules as everyone else by complying with the SDWA and disclose the chemicals they use just like every other industry,” stated Eisenla in his memo.
Martin said at one point in the meeting that he had declined to take a formal position on the FRAC Act, even after being asked to do so by unnamed parties, because he wants to “hear both sides of the story” before making up his mind.
But earlier he had declared, “You could put hydraulic frac'ing out of business” with this kind of legislation, adding, “We've got plenty of bills in place. It's the enforcement that's the issue.”
His fellow commissioner, Mike Samson, told those at the meeting, “I agree with what John is saying, but I would like to have more information,” and called for Jordan to give her presentation at the July 13 meeting.
“For the record, I don't agree with what he's saying,” noted commissioner Trési Houpt, although she did not formally endorse the bill.
jcolson@postindependent.com
But at a meeting this week, Martin left little doubt as to how he feels about the so-called FRAC Act — an acronym for the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act — which was introduced in June in both houses of the U.S. Congress.
“I'm not interested,” Martin told the county's oil and gas expert, Judy Jordan, as she prepared to give a presentation on the FRAC Act at the commission's regular meeting on Monday.
“I don't know of one legislator from the Western Slope of Colorado who is in support of it,” Martin continued, possibly a reference to the fact that Rep. John Salazar, who represents the 3rd Congressional District and Garfield County, has yet to declare support for the bill.
The practice of frac'ing, generally deemed essentially to improving access to deeply buried natural gas deposits, was exempted from the SDWA in the 2005 Energy Policy Act, widely condemned by environmental watchdogs as a move by former Vice President Dick Cheney to do the bidding of friends in the oil and gas business. The FRAC Act would amend the SDWA to specifically include frac'ing.
In hydraulic fracturing, drilling companies force a mixture of water and solids down a well to break up the rock thousands of feet below the surface, and a major part of the FRAC Act would require that the ingredients of the frac'ing fluids be revealed to government regulators because of potential health and environmental hazards. Proprietary information such as the exact recipe used by individual companies would remain secret unless needed for medical treatment of people exposed to the fluids.
The gas industry argues that the FRAC Act would be an unneeded additional layer of regulation, because state regulations already exert varying degrees of control over frac'ing, including a Colorado provision requiring that the general makeup of the frac'ing fluids be submitted to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and be made available to medical personnel when necessary.
Critics, however, maintain that the state's regulation is insufficient, and because some of the substances used are carcinogenic but are never revealed to the public, these critics want greater transparency in the process.
The cities of Glenwood Springs and Carbondale, as well as Pitkin County, have endorsed the legislation, according to Kris Eisenla, spokesman for one of the sponsors of the House bill, Diana DeGette, D-Boulder. Eisenla said in an e-mail that seven other towns or counties around the state also have endorsed the bill, as have three municipalities and two counties in New York state, a township in Pennsylvania and a city in Texas, all areas where gas drilling takes place.
“The FRAC Act simply requires the oil and gas industry to follow the same rules as everyone else by complying with the SDWA and disclose the chemicals they use just like every other industry,” stated Eisenla in his memo.
Martin said at one point in the meeting that he had declined to take a formal position on the FRAC Act, even after being asked to do so by unnamed parties, because he wants to “hear both sides of the story” before making up his mind.
But earlier he had declared, “You could put hydraulic frac'ing out of business” with this kind of legislation, adding, “We've got plenty of bills in place. It's the enforcement that's the issue.”
His fellow commissioner, Mike Samson, told those at the meeting, “I agree with what John is saying, but I would like to have more information,” and called for Jordan to give her presentation at the July 13 meeting.
“For the record, I don't agree with what he's saying,” noted commissioner Trési Houpt, although she did not formally endorse the bill.
jcolson@postindependent.com
