Obama Admin. Approves ALEC Model Bill for Fracking Chemical Fluid Disclosure on Public Lands

[octoberlib]

On May 16, the Obama Interior Department announced its long-awaited rules governing hydraulic fracturing ("fracking&quot on federal lands.

As part of its 171-page document of rules, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), part of the U.S. Dept. of Interior (DOI), revealed it will adopt the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) model bill written by ExxonMobil for fracking chemical fluid disclosure on U.S. public lands.

ALEC is a 98-percent corporate-funded bill mill and "dating service" that brings predominantly Republican state legislators and corporate lobbyists together at meetings to craft and vote on "model bills" behind closed doors. Many of these bills end up snaking their way into statehouses and become law in what Bill Moyers referred to as "The United States of ALEC."

BLM will utilize an iteration of ALEC's "Disclosure of Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Composition Act" - a bill The New York Times revealed was written by ExxonMobil - for chemical fluid disclosure of fracking on public lands and will do so by utilizing FracFocus.org's voluntary online chemical disclosure database.

http://www.desmogblog.com/2013/05/20/obama-admin-approves-alec-model-bill-fracking-chemical-fluid-disclosure-public-lands

[djean111]

1. What a surprise!!!!!!!!!!

On April 12, EnergyWire's Mike Soraghan revealed that the Obama Admin. "huddled" with Big Oil before releasing BLM's final rules, watering them down to suit the industry's taste.

Heather Zichal, deputy assistant to the president for energy and climate change, "met more than 20 times in 2012 with industry groups and company executives lobbying on the proposed rule," according to Soraghan's review of White House visitor records. "Among them were the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), along with BP America Inc., Devon Energy Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp."

"The rule really reflects who has had the most access and who is being listened to," Fran Hunt of the Sierra Club's "Beyond Gas" campaign told EnergyWire. "They've been following the road signs put up by industry."

Michael Brune, Executive Director of the Sierra Club, echoed these concerns.

"After reviewing the draft rules, we believe the administration is putting the American public’s health and well-being at risk, while continuing to give polluters a free ride," Brune stated of BLM's new fracking rules. "This proposal does not require drillers to disclose all chemicals being used for fracking and continues to allow trade-secret exemptions for the oil and gas industry."

Why not just do away with Washington and admit that corporations run the country?

[Politicalboi]

2. Because we know we can trust ExxonMobil

WTF? And ALEC to boot. So in other words the Kock brothers.

[newfie11]

3. Oh go figure

And right behind that will be an ok for the pipeline!

It's all about the money and screw the humans.

There are lots I could say about Obama but will not print it here.

[Blue Owl]

4. Detroit's PetKoch is just the hors d'ouvre

Wait until the entire nation is the Koch Bros dumping ground....

[Jackpine Radical]

5. But think how much worse it would be if Romney were in there.

Romney would probly also let Keystone through and he'd probly put through some crazy health care plan like the one he did in Mass. And Gitmo would still be open, and our troops would still be dying in Afghanistan, and Monsanto would get to write the rules on GMOs, and…

[newfie11]

6. Lol. +1

Yep interesting comparison

[rhett o rick]

7. Oh Yeah! We got Penny Pritzker. nm

[Jackpine Radical]

9. That reminds me. I've been wondering--

How do you pritzk a penny?

And given her moola pile, why doesn't she pritzk in larger denominations?

[rhett o rick]

10. It's all about leveraging. nm

[Doctor_J]

8. But he's nice to the governor of OK

and his popularity is growing!

[limpyhobbler]

11. I could have sworn Obama said he wanted disclosure of the chemicals.

He must have evolved on the issue.

[limpyhobbler]

12. Wait...Obama's Interior Dept adopts ALEC model bill to hide fracking chemicals from the public....

That's pretty messed up.

[FirstLight]

13. ug...k&R

dissappointing...but somehow not surprising. I guess Mother Nature will have to shake us down to get their attention...right?

i am being fecetious, this stuff makes me want to cry, really.