Texas forces firms to open up on 'fracking'

As the spiritual home of big oil, Texas may fairly be seen to be to environmentalism what its official food, chilli con carne, is to vegetarianism.

But that hasn't stopped the state becoming the first corner of America to require energy firms to disclose information about the chemicals they are pumping into the ground in order to release natural gas during the hugely controversial process of "hydraulic fracking".

The Lone Star state's Governor, Rick Perry, quietly signed a law last week which forces gas companies to publish a list of the 600 or so substances they add to a mixture of water and sand during the process. This mixture then gets fired deep underground at high pressure to release deposits of gas locked up in formations of shale and other rocks.

For years, the industry in the US has refused to declare what toxic chemicals it uses during fracking, saying that to do so would amount to revealing trade secrets. But that policy has bred public mistrust, with the industry accused of contaminating local water supplies and creating other environmental hazards.

The film GasLand, which was nominated for this year's Best Documentary Oscar, showed a homeowner in Weld County, Colorado, holding a cigarette lighter over his kitchen sink. When he turned on the tap, flammable gas emerged from it. The homeowner blamed the phenomenon on nearby fracking projects. Gas companies have always insisted their process has only a minimal impact. They argue that its risks are a small price to pay for a potential energy boom which could dramatically reduce US dependence on foreign oil.

However, since they have refused to name the exact chemicals being used, that claim has until now been taken with a pinch of salt. Governor Perry's new law is designed to reduce mistrust, since it will require firms to submit the substances being used on individual projects to a database, which will then be published on the website fracfocus.org. It is supported by the energy industry, which apparently has come to the see that its PR will in future be better served by transparency.

The increased levels of disclosure are broadly welcomed by environmental groups. But some are critical of an exemption which allows certain pieces of information deemed "commercially sensitive" to be withheld. They are also suspicious of the fact that the rules were devised in collaboration with fracking companies.

Governor Perry, a long-standing friend of the oil industry, is currently considering a bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Though he primarily appeals to the party's most conservative supporters, the new fracking law may demonstrate that he is also a figure whom centrists can do business with.

Chili Con Carne Recipe

Parties because you may be tempted and break the diet and not get the desired results: So do not expose yourself to food temptations and stay focused on the diet: While on the diet, look in the mirror constantly every day to notice the changes. I experienced such dramatic changes; I saw the rims of the sides were disappearing. My nails became stronger and grew rapidly. The pain in my knee disappeared and the skin was thinner by as fat disappeared. This will motivate you enormously to continue with the diet of recipes like Chili Con Carne Recipe . Remember that although not lower the balance you are still losing weight.

The 27 ingredient chili con carne murders

Alex Sweet's Texas, the lighter side of Lone Star history

Professional Cooking for Canadian Chefs

Cookbook, With Over 1000 Recipes You Are Guaranteed to Never Run Out of Ideas!.

Life is meals, a food lover's book of days