1. HYDRAULIC FRACTURING:
BLM releases chemical disclosure, well bore safety rules
An Obama administration plan to require companies to report the chemicals they use to stimulate oil and gas production will add costs to drilling on federal lands but will result in greater benefits to society, Interior Department officials said this morning. The release of a proposed rule governing the disclosure of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, in addition to new requirements to prove that wells will not leak and that excess water can be managed, drew a mixture of scorn and applause both from industry and environmentalists.