HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
Revised Interior rule loops in industry-favored FracFocus
Companies that drill for oil or gas on federal land would be able to report the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing through an industry-backed database under a new draft of the Interior Department's fracking rule. According to an unpublished draft of the rule obtained by EnergyWire, operators would be allowed to report the chemicals through Fracfocus.org, a privately run site used by industry to satisfy disclosure requirements in several states. That would mark a win for the oil and gas industry over environmental groups in the ongoing battle over how to manage the shale drilling boom taking place across the country.