Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe recently approved changes to the state's Gas and Oil Regulation that govern the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the Old Dominion state.
The regulations were authored by Virginia's Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME) to expand disclosure of ingredients used in well stimulation, and to ensure that the regulations reflect current industry best practices. DMME adopted the changes to the Virginia Gas and Oil Regulation in September, based on input from an advisory panel that included representatives from industry, environmental groups, other state agencies and local governments.
"The final regulation requires disclosure of the ingredients used in hydraulic fracturing operations to the public while also protecting industry trade secrets except in case of emergency," according to DMME. "These requirement strike the appropriate balance between environmental protection and economic development as required by the Virginia Gas and Oil Act." The regulation requires well operators to use the FracFocus registry to disclose chemicals used in fracking operations.
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