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PrintNew rules expand hydraulic fracturing reports for Indiana
New temporary rules governing hydraulic fracturing operations conducted by oil and gas operators in Indiana will become effective July 1, 2012.
These temporary rules result from the passage of House Bill 1107 (2012), otherwise known as P.L. 16-2012, which requires the Department of Natural Resources to develop rules for the reporting and disclosure of hydraulic fracturing treatments used in oil and gas wells.
Unlike horizontal shale gas wells in other regions of the United States, Indiana’s horizontal shale gas wells in the New Albany Shale formation are rarely completed with hydraulic fracturing treatments.
In other regions of the country, more than 8 million gallons of water can be used for hydraulic fracturing treatments on each well.
The new rule expands requirements for reporting hydraulic fracturing information to all wells in Indiana. Previously, requirements for submittal and approval of hydraulic fracturing plans and detailed reporting of hydraulic fracturing treatments, including the specific products used, applied only to coal bed methane wells.
The new rules require all well operators who use hydraulic fracturing to enhance the productivity of an oil or gas well to provide detailed information on the types and volumes of fluids and additives used in the well treatment. The information will be reported to the DNR Division of Oil & Gas, made a part of the permanent well record and posted on the Division’s website where the public may view the information.
New information to be submitted includes the volume and source of the base fluid used (usually water); the type and amounts of proppant used (usually sand); and the type and volume of all additive products used in the hydraulic fracturing treatment. A copy of the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for each additive product used will be posted on the Division’s website.
See IN.gov/nrc/files/lsa_12292e.pdf for a downloadable copy of the new temporary rule.
Typically there are between 250 and 300 new wells completed in Indiana each year.
According to the Division of Oil & Gas, on average only 20 to 25 percent of new wells are completed with the use of hydraulic fracturing treatments. Where hydraulic fracturing is used, the total volume of fluids averages about 8,000 gallons for oil wells and about 32,000 gallons of fluid in some gas wells and coal bed methane wells.
To learn more about oil and gas operations in Indiana and the new requirements for reporting hydraulic fracturing information, visit the Division of Oil & Gas website at dnr.IN.gov/dnroil or contact the Indianapolis office at (317) 232-4055.
