Obama Administration Unveils Fracking Rules

March 25, 2015

The Obama administration last week issued rules on hydraulic fracturing in an attempt to set a national standard for drilling practices that have helped fuel the U.S. oil and natural-gas boom.  According to the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), the standards will improve safety and help protect groundwater by updating requirements for well-bore integrity, wastewater disposal and public disclosure of chemicals.

Key components of the rules, which will take effect in 90 days include:

• Provisions for ensuring the protection of groundwater supplies by requiring a validation of well integrity and strong cement barriers between the wellbore and water zones through which the wellbore passes;
• Increased transparency by requiring companies to publicly disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing to the Bureau of Land Management through the website FracFocus, within 30 days of completing fracturing operations;
• Higher standards for interim storage of recovered waste fluids from hydraulic fracturing to mitigate risks to air, water and wildlife;
• Measures to lower the risk of cross-well contamination with chemicals and fluids used in the fracturing operation, by requiring companies to submit more detailed information on the geology, depth and location of preexisting wells to afford the BLM an opportunity to better evaluate and manage unique site characteristics.

Brisben Water Technologies has developed the most extensive, proven and commercialized patent portfolio in the world for an Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) to treat and recycle produced waters from oil & natural gas wells.  Since 2008, Brisben Water's patented Ozonix® technology, a revolutionary Ozone-Based Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP), has enabled oil and gas industry customers to treat, recycle and reuse over 5 billion gallons of water for more than 1,200 oil and natural gas wells in the United States and Canada, while eliminating millions of gallons of liquid chemicals and generating over $70 million in equipment sales, service and licensing revenue. The Company has also successfully manufactured and deployed approximately 50 Ozonix® machines to a wide variety of major hydraulic fracturing shale plays around the United States and Canada.

To view the press release issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), please click here.

Best Regards,

Shawn Severson        
Managing Director, Energy & Environmental Technologies Practice
The Blueshirt Group
Phone: (415) 489-2198       
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