Test Drive Our New Site! We have some improvements in the works that we're excited for you to experience. Click here to try our new, faster, mobile friendly beta site. We will be maintaining our current version of the site thru the end of 2024, so you can switch back as our improvements continue.
Legislation Quick Search
Advanced Search
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
04/19/2024 09:10 AM
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20130&cosponId=13405
Share:
Home / House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

Subscribe to PaLegis Notifications
NEW!

Subscribe to receive notifications of new Co-Sponsorship Memos circulated

By Member | By Date | Keyword Search


House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: September 25, 2013 04:46 PM
From: Representative Jesse White
To: All House members
Subject: Full Disclosure of Chemicals Used in Shale Gas Hydraulic Fracturing (Fair Frac Disclosure Act)
 
In the near future I will be introducing legislation which will mandate the full disclosure of all chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process, aka fracking, used to extract natural gas from shale. My legislation will mandate complete disclosure of all chemicals used in the process, including the disclosure of all compounds labeled as proprietary by vendors and subcontractors.

With companies dumping wastewater from multiple drilling sites in open wastewater impoundments, chemicals are being mixed that were never designed to be combined. This can create serious environmental impact as those chemicals react and gases are released into the air. Since impoundments are permitted in residential areas under Act 13, this is a serious health concern.

Sites like FracFocus are seriously flawed and fail to provide any measure of true disclosure. MSDS sheets are voluntary and prepared by industry. As a legislative body, we need to be concerned about a very real possibility of a first responder being injured at a drilling site and a doctor unable to provide treatment because no one knows what chemicals he or she has been exposed to. We owe our first responders and all Pennsylvanians the truth about what chemicals are being used.

My legislation would require DEP to maintain a public database of all compounds used by an applicant prior to a permit is issued, providing the transparency and accountability we all deserve on an issue with such serious public health consequences.

Pennsylvanians deserve to know what chemicals are being put into our air and water as part of the fracking process. Please join me in making this common sense proposal a reality by co-sponsoring my legislation.


Introduced as HB1721