Toxic Release Reports Sought For Oil, Gas Drilling

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Environmental groups say they are asking the federal Environmental Protection Agency to require toxic chemical release reporting for the oil and gas industry.

The Environmental Integrity Project said Wednesday that it is joining with 16 other groups to call for the inclusion of oil and gas exploration in the EPA's Toxic Release Inventory. The database contains reports on the disposal and release of more than 650 toxic chemicals from thousands of U.S. facilities. Oil and gas exploration is largely exempted.

The groups say the inclusion is needed because of the boom in hydraulic fracturing of natural gas, which injects water, sand and chemicals underground.

A spokesman for the oil industry group Energy In Depth says the EPA has looked at the issue a number of times and decided against inclusion.

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