On average, hydraulic fracturing fluids are made up of more than 99.5% of water and sand, with an additional .49% of commonly used additives. These additives, of course, are highly diluted and all fluids and hydrocarbons are isolated within the wellbore, following strict regulations, to ensure groundwater resources are protected.
As you may know, MSC member companies have been voluntarily disclosing fracturing fluids on a well-by-well basis through FracFocus, national registry, since January of 2012. These efforts are in line with our commitment to operational transparency. However, and while traditional fracturing additives are safely used each day to enhance natural gas production, several MSC member companies do market “food-grade” fluids, including Baker Hughes, Halliburton, and Schlumberger.
You should also know that top officials from across the nation, including President Obama’s former EPA administrator, Lisa Jackson, have confirmed time and again that hydraulic fracturing has never impacted groundwater. And most recently, the U.S. Dept. of Energy released findings confirming that fracturing does not impact groundwater.
