On Friday May 4, 2012, Obama administration released draft rule requiring public disclosure of the chemicals used in Hydraulic Fracturing (otherwise referred to as "Fracking") on public (federal) and Indian Lands in the United Sates. The announcement was made through a press statement released by the U.S. Department of Interior.

THydraulic fracturing is an in-situ approach used to obtain oil and gas from oil shale. Oil shale is a sedimentary rock that contains solid bituminous material called kerogen.

Oil shale is formed by the deposition of silt and organic materials over several generations. Oil shale can be drilled out and burnt directly (in a similar fashion to coal) to produce energy.

Oil Shale is sometimes referred to as "the rock that burns". Oil and gas (used to generate energy) can, also, be extracted from the oil shale by burning the oil shale to temperatures that bring out the kerogen out of the rock. The thermal process used in this case is called Pyrolysis. The oil shale is drilled from the ground and transported to a location where it can be burned to extract the oil (similar to crude oil) and gas (similar to natural gas). The extraction of oil from oil shale by heating is referred to "retorting". Actually, "retorting" in chemistry is used to define any process that requires heating to separate substances which are then subjected to further processing. Extracting oil from oil shale this way is referred to as ex-situ retorting process.

Alternative to drilling out the oil shale, some companies now "heat up" the oil shale "in place" or "in situ" underground to fracture the oil shale and make it flow as liquid. The liquid can then be brought to the surface through wells similar to the oil wells used for crude oil extraction. Fracturing the oil shale to liquid form underground is referred to as Hydraulic Fracturing ("Fracking"). The heating up of oil shale while still underground to release oil can be referred to as "in-situ retorting"

"Hydraulic Fracturing" or "Fracking". This in-situ approach often require the use of some chemicals. Water , sand and chemicals are injected deep into the earth to crack the oil shale. This approach has raised concerns of groundwater pollution and has also been thought of as contributing to mild earthquakes (CNN). Most oil companies do not like to disclose the chemicals used in fracking process because they claim that the chemicals are trade secrets. However, the environmental professionals have always insisted that the chemicals should be disclosed to enable the monitoring of their path and fate in the environment for the protection of the health of humans and the environment.

The statement released by the U. S. Department of Interior says "In support of President Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, and the Obama administration’s goal of continuing to expand responsible oil and gas production, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the release of a proposed rule to require companies to publicly disclose the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations on public and Indian lands, with appropriate protections for proprietary information"

This is a welcome development from the Obama administration. If the fossil fuels should be used to produce energy, the processes, products and by-products should have minimal negative impact on the health of human and the environment.

Sources / Related Stories:

Interior Release Draft Rule Requiring Public Disclosure of Chemicals Used in Hydraulic Fracturing on Public and Indian Lands (Press Release)

FracFocus - Chemical Disclosure Registry

Obama Administration tightens Fracking Rules

Fossil Fuels on Environbusiness.com

President Obama on Energy in the State of the Union Address

Environmental Business News - EBN