Steven Holt: “I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), the senior ranking member of the Committee…”

“I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), the senior ranking member of the Committee on Natural Resources. Mr. DeFAZIO. I thank the gentleman. Mr. Chairman, now here, a group has done an assessment of the various State regulatory regimes, and as you can see, they vary tremendously. They think that the best is Maryland. There are others gathered toward the top, the middle, and then way down here at the bottom, you have Virginia. Some States require comprehensive pressure testing of the casing. That is essential, particularly if you are going through the water table to get to the gas. If you get the leaks, then you destroy the water table. Some States don't require that. Some States require that you contain the fluids that come back up, the waste products laden with toxic materials not only from the fluids but from the ground itself. Other States allow it to be in open pits. Some States require disclosure of the chemicals that are used. Now how can you say there has been no contamination when there are contaminated wells in many places across the U.S.? Some of it has to do with baseline contamination with arsenic or other things, but if you don't know what they are sticking into the ground near your well or water table, you can't track what it is that was a baseline before and/ or what is pollution that has resulted. We don't know that. So why not require disclosure of the chemicals? We are having a gold rush right now for fracking.…”