Department of Public Health Sciences, The University of Chicago Biological Sciences, Chicago, IL, USA.
University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Lancet Planet Health. 2020 May;4(5):e178-e185. doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(20)30076-0.
Hydraulic fracturing often involves the injection of millions of gallons of fracturing fluids into underground shales to extract oil and natural gas, raising health concerns over potential water contamination. Many state and federal governmental agencies rely on the third-party FracFocus online registry for disclosure of chemical ingredients in fracturing fluids, but withholding chemicals as trade secrets is common. In 2016, a new format, known as the systems approach was widely encouraged as a method of reducing withholding by decoupling disclosed chemicals from their functions, protecting against reverse-engineering of fracture fluid formulas by competitors. In this study, we assess the extent to which elevated use of the systems approach in FracFocus version 3.0 translated into greater chemical disclosure.
We analysed 108 137 disclosure forms submitted to FracFocus between Jan 1, 2011, and Dec 31, 2018, to estimate the effect of expanded use of the systems approach on chemical withholding. We compared the proportion of forms withholding at least one chemical ingredient across time, between approaches, and by state and drilling operator.
Since the 2016 expansion of the systems approach, 15 677 (82%) of systems approach forms have withheld an ingredient. 13 462 (89%) of 15 062 traditional FracFocus version 3.0 forms withheld an ingredient. In the quarter following the transition (July, to September, 2016), 1211 (93%) of 1304 traditional forms withheld an ingredient, compared with only 958 (76%) of 1262 systems approach forms. However, withholding rates increased throughout 2017 and, by 2018, 6949 (87%) of 8016 systems approach forms were withholding ingredients. At the end of our analysis period in the fourth quarter of 2018, systems approach forms had even greater withholding (903 [88%] of 1025 forms) than did traditional forms (855 [85%] of 1004 forms). We did not find that states or operators that submitted more systems approach forms had lower withholding.
The systems approach has not reduced FracFocus chemical withholding, which continues to occur in around 87% of well fracture disclosures. FracFocus might not be an appropriate substitute for regulatory action, and measures are urgently needed for environmental and public safety.
University of Chicago Argonne National Laboratory Seed Grant.
水力压裂通常涉及将数百万加仑的压裂液注入地下页岩中，以提取石油和天然气，这引发了人们对潜在水污染的健康担忧。许多州和联邦政府机构依赖第三方的 FracFocus 在线注册表来披露压裂液中的化学成分，但将化学品作为商业秘密保留是很常见的。2016 年，一种新的格式，即系统方法，被广泛鼓励作为一种减少保留的方法，即将披露的化学品与其功能分离，防止竞争对手对压裂液配方进行逆向工程。在这项研究中，我们评估了 FracFocus 版本 3.0 中系统方法的广泛使用在多大程度上增加了化学物质的披露。
我们分析了 2011 年 1 月 1 日至 2018 年 12 月 31 日期间向 FracFocus 提交的 108137 份披露表，以估计系统方法的广泛使用对化学品保留的影响。我们比较了不同时间、不同方法以及不同州和钻井运营商之间至少保留一种化学成分的表格比例。
自 2016 年系统方法扩展以来，15677 份（82%）的系统方法表格保留了一种成分。15062 份传统 FracFocus 版本 3.0 表格中有 13462 份（89%）保留了一种成分。在过渡后的季度（2016 年 7 月至 9 月），1304 份传统表格中有 1211 份（93%）保留了一种成分，而 1262 份系统方法表格中只有 958 份（76%）。然而，保留率在 2017 年全年都有所上升，到 2018 年，8016 份系统方法表格中有 6949 份（87%）保留了成分。在我们分析的 2018 年第四季度末，系统方法表格的保留率甚至更高（1025 份表格中有 903 份，占 88%），而传统表格的保留率为 855 份（占 1004 份表格中的 85%）。我们没有发现提交更多系统方法表格的州或运营商的保留率较低。
系统方法并没有减少 FracFocus 的化学物质保留，这种情况仍在大约 87%的井破裂披露中发生。FracFocus 可能不是监管行动的合适替代品，迫切需要采取措施来保障环境和公共安全。
芝加哥大学阿贡国家实验室种子基金。
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