Dems: Oil, Gas Drillers Pumped Diesel into Ground

Oil and gas companies have injected more than 32 million gallons of fluids containing diesel fuel underground without first getting government approval as required, a report by congressional Democrats said Monday. Lawmakers said the use of diesel fuel by large companies, such as Halliburton and BJ Services Co., appears to violate the Safe Drinking Water Act, because the companies never obtained permission from state or federal authorities to use the diesel fuel. The probe found no evidence that the use of diesel fuel contaminated water supplies. The year-long probe was led by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and other two other Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Waxman is the panel's senior Democrat and a former chairman. The investigation found that 12 of 14 companies hired to perform hydraulic fracturing, also known as "fracking," used diesel alone or in a mixture from 2005 to 2009. Of the 32.2 million gallons reported, most was injected in Texas, followed by Oklahoma, North Dakota, Louisiana and Wyoming...more