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Programs
FRACFOCUS
FracFocus was created in 2011 with a single purpose in mind: to simplify the search for chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations by location. This goal extended not just to providing a one-stop resource for all relevant information, but also to ensuring the information is clear, easy to understand, and not simply a download of industry terminology.
The original vision began in 2010 through a partnership between the Ground Water Protection Council and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, which were aware of and concerned about the time-consuming and inefficient processes in place for consumers who wanted to search for this information. In a joint effort, they began planning and seeking input from states, academia, and technology and industry experts to place chemical reporting data at the general public’s fingertips.
FracFocus 3.0
The release of FracFocus 3.0 in 2016 included the following improvements:
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Stronger validation processes to improve data integrity and accuracy
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A new format for reporting chemical data that protects proprietary information while still allowing the chemicals used to be disclosed
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Newly designed forms to improve the company and regulatory agency user experiences when checking and completing disclosures
In Progress
Launch of New Public Site
(December 2018) -- GWPC and IOGCC are happy to announce that a new and updated FracFocus.org web site will soon be arriving for the public outreach portion of FracFocus. The new site updates provide easier disclosure searching geared toward the public user wishing to find information specific to their area. Updated access to the chemicals used during a Hydraulic Fracturing job and a more concise presentation of information. The updated website will also present a richer interface geared toward a modern web presence and function seamlessly in mobile environments. Watch for more on this coming update in 2019.
Technical Updates
(December 2018) -- The FracFocus team is working with industry and state stakeholders in designing the next iteration of FracFocus’s data submission and data access portals.
New features to support the membership and personnel and means to upload disclosure data as being received by industry professionals, are being considered. The new features are expected to support an update in the website’s architecture to provide a more robust user experience, greater stability, and current technological upgrades going into the future for the website.
Today, what began as a voluntary reporting site with 37 participating companies now receives reports from more than 1,100 companies reporting chemicals for more than 138,000 hydraulic fracturing operations nationwide. Because of the system’s success from both operator and consumer perspectives, 25 states now either require or allow companies to disclose chemical data via FracFocus.