Energy company praises Texas shale rules

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HOUSTON, July 18 (UPI) -- Disclosure laws on hydraulic fluid used in the extraction of natural gas from Texas shale deposits should serve as a model for others, an energy company said.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry last week required energy companies to disclose the ingredients of hydraulic fracturing fluid to the Texas Railroad Commission, the state agency that regulates the energy sector.

Critics of shale gas are concerned about the possibilities of hydraulic fracturing fluids contaminating ground water supplies.

Apache Corp., an energy company with headquarters in Houston, said, when done safely, hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in shale deposits contributes safely to energy security in the United States, one of the largest holders of shale gas in the world.

G. Steven Farris, chairman and chief executive officer of Apache Corp., in a statement said Perry's legislation was forward thinking.

"The disclosure legislation should serve as a model for other states that want to maintain public confidence as the industry develops these resources and leads the way to a cleaner and healthy environment for all of us," he said.

West Virginia and Michigan announced new legislation regulating shale gas this year.