PITTSBURGH (AP) - By next summer, shale gas companies in Pennsylvania will be required to electronically disclose the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing in a new state-run database.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports (https://bit.ly/1BR9G63 ) the state will require operators to submit fracturing records electronically by March 2016.

Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Quigley says the DEP will end its affiliation with FracFocus, an independent online catalog of fracking records, and develop their own online database.

Plans call for integrating the records into a mapping system. Quigley says users would be able to click on dots on a map and find information about the wells.

The database will be based on a disclosure form that separates the list of chemicals and trade names, which the DEP hopes will encourage more disclosure.

___

Information from: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, https://pghtrib.com

Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters

Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC.