MT Board of Oil & Gas Votes to Conceal Fracking Fluids

August 10, 2011 in Montana

by jhwygirl

Siding with industry, Montana’s Board of Oil & Gas unanimously approved rules which permit industry to keep secret fluids used in fracking wells.

Montana’s Board of Oil & Gas has regulatory and rule-making oversight. By law, 50% of its 6 members are from the oil & gas industry, two must be property owners “not actively associated with the oil & gas industry” yet one of those property owners must own both surface and mineral ownership (no self-serving interest there). One member must be a lawyer.

MTBOG had a full docket for today and tomorrow, but cleared things up right away regarding the oil & gas industry’s need to disclose the chemicals they are injecting into the ground – into the water tables of surface property owners who own the water rights.

“Keep ’em secret!” said the board.

Final approval for the rules rests with Secretary of State Linda McCulloch.

Here is an industry video on what fracking involves. That’s from Northern Oil & Gas, a major lease holder in the Bakken Reserves here in Montana. I’ve written a little here on fracking, but if you really want to read up on the good the bad and the ugly of fracking, it is necessary to check out The Editor at the Button Valley Bugle or the Northern Plains Resource Council or Montana Environmental Resource Center, both of which have excellent, Montana-specific information on fracking.

We have an industry and self-serving interest stacked board deciding rules on how to regulate itself.

Montana has regressed back to the days of the Copper Kings. That’s not an understatement. Even Wyoming recognized the need to require the industry to disclose its fracking fluids just this past year.
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Benzene causes cancer. That is a fact. Benzene is widely known to be used in fracking. That is a fact. Benzene has shown up in water wells near fracking wells across the nations. Undoubtedly you have all seen video of the water from faucets and water bottles that catch on fire merely when a flame is put to it. THAT is what fracking is capable of doing. With water.

With water that is actually a property right owned. Yet oil & gas industry can come in to get their minerals and destroy your water.

Destroy.

Water is life.

Really – Water Is Life. Think about water is to eastern Montana. Once there’s benzene in a water table, do you think it can be cleaned out? Do you think it stays where it is?

This kind of stuff defies plan common sense, I don’t care what political party you are.

(Somewhere I hear someone laughing – “Ha! But sense is not common and you know this, you fool!” and I hang my head knowing the truth of that property directed scorn.)

Our government is comprised of fools. Please write Secretary of State Linda McCulloch and tell her to delay approval of these rules until such time that they meet Montana’s constitutional guarantees for the public to open public disclosure. Until such time that the rules make a reasonable attempt to meet constitutional guarantees for Montana citizens to a clean and healthful environment.

The Northern Plains Resource Council’s press release is below the fold.