By Roy L Hales

There was a legal loop-hole, when Wyoming became the first state to require the disclosure of chemicals used while fracking, in 2010. Corporations did not have to reveal chemicals that were “trade secrets.” This qualification was too loose and some chemicals have been linked to respiratory distress, rashes, convulsions, organ damage, and cancer. So Earthjustice, acting on the behalf of represented the Powder River Basin Resource Council, Wyoming Outdoor Council, Earthworks, and the Center for Effective Government, sued the state’s Oil and Gas Commission to demand more transparency. A settlement was reached on January 26, 2015. Though it is still possible to claim chemicals are “trade secrets, companies will have to prove this because Wyoming requires further disclosure of fracking chemicals.