Yes, that’s right. It costs these multi-national gas/frack companies just $300 to apply for a frack well permit. But when Ban Michigan Fracking asked the Michigan DEQ for copies of documents so that the public can find out what happened in the 40,068-gallon frack fluid disaster spread out on roadways, in a Freedom of Information Act request, DEQ asked us to cough up $476.

Would you like to know what happened to all that frack waste?

We would and we’d like to provide the documents to the public. Please help us by donating to Ban Michigan Fracking today and help us uncover some of the facts.

Last week, Ban Michigan Fracking reported the 40,000+ gallon frack fluid disaster to the National Response Center operated by the US Coast Guard, and also to the Environmental Protection Agency.

See our Report to EPA and our incident report to the National Response Center.

What We Requested of the DEQ

September 13, 2012

FOIA Request To: The DEQ and DNR From: LuAnne Kozma, Ban Michigan Fracking, 9330 Boyne City Road, Charlevoix, MI 49720 Under the Freedom of Information Act, I request the following information regarding the well called State Excelsior 1-25 HD1, permit 60389: All correspondence and reports, field notes, photographs, site evaluations and other materials including emails and phone notes between, to or from members of either department and all other parties including but not limited to: corporations, persons, governmental entities or departments, road commissions, the EPA, other Michigan state employees or elected officials, first responder units and public health authorities regarding the frack fluids at the Excelsior 1-25 HD1 well during the period commencing with the approval of the well’s permit to today’s date, September 13, 2012. Records regarding the quantity of frack fluids removed from the well between May 14 and June 13, 2012. Records showing the quantities of brine/flowback and locations in the state in which this brine/flowback was stored, received, and used (ie, flowback materials) for application on roads, approval of which was granted by DEQ and then revoked. All records and correspondence regarding cleanup activities DEQ has done to remediate areas that received the flowback from Excelsior 1-25 HD1. All MSDW [sic] sheets regarding this well. Please inform me of any and all costs of this FOIA request prior to making electronic copies. I request that charges be waived because our organization is acting in the public interest. Sincerely, LuAnne Kozma 9330 Boyne City Road Charlevoix, MI 49720

The DEQ’s charges for the FOIA?

9 hours of professional staff time @ $25.80 per hour = $232.20

5 hours of clerical staff time @ $20.40 per hour = $102.00

373 copies @ $.38 per page = $141.74

Grand Total : $476.00