DeGette Hails Committee Passage of Fracking Provision in CLEAR Act
Comprehensive Energy Bill Includes First Step in Long-Fought Battle for Disclosure
WASHINGTON, DC – As a leader in the effort to require disclosure of hydraulic fracturing chemicals, Congresswoman Diana DeGette (CO-1), today, hailed the Committee on Natural Resources' passage of the "Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources (CLEAR) Act" (H.R. 3534), which included a provision to mandate disclosure of chemicals used in drilling on federal lands. Congresswoman DeGette has long sought regulations requiring oil and gas companies to disclose the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing (aka "fracking"), to protect our nation's communities and their water supply.
"The fracking provision we voted for today in the CLEAR Act is an important step to providing governments and communities with the information they need on potentially damaging chemical use," said DeGette. "For the many families in Colorado who live near natural gas drilling wells, this is a great victory that enables them to finally know what chemicals are being used near their homes. But as I have long fought for, we must mandate disclosure in all communities where fracking is taking place.
"Around the country, including in my home state of Colorado, cases are emerging of residents, workers, and health care providers becoming ill after fracking operations began in their communities. Without disclosure, it is difficult to assess whether these incidents are from fracking chemicals or not. Quite simply, the American public has a right to know what chemicals are being used in their communities, particularly if those chemicals might threaten their water supply. Today, millions of Americans who live near public lands are a step closer to exercising that right. But we must continue to fight until every family in the nation near natural gas wells can rest easy with clear knowledge of the chemicals used in their communities."
DeGette also helped beat back efforts today to strip the fracking disclosure provision from the bill, when an amendment to do so was struck down, 19 – 25. She previously introduced the FRAC ACT -- Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act, to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act. Currently, the oil and gas industry is the only industry granted an exemption from complying with the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the proposed legislation would repeal that exemption and require the industry to disclose the chemicals they use in their hydraulic fracturing processes.
"As a Representative from Colorado, I support developing domestic natural gas as an important bridge fuel to cleaner energy, and an economic driver for my state and our nation. But as we have seen from the tragedy in the Gulf, we must have reasonable regulations on the oil and gas industry to ensure that energy exploration is done safely. Today's provision is a critical first step towards safeguarding our drinking water, protecting our communities, and driving safer energy exploration across the nation."
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