Letters: Fracking facts

Re “Fracking: How risky?,” Editorial, May 26

The Times described a bill by state Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) as imposing “significant public disclosure requirements on fracking operations.” Sadly, the disclosure section in Pavely’s bill has a loophole so large that it renders the disclosure provision meaningless.

Pavley grants the industry its biggest wish — to declare the toxic fracking chemical cocktail a trade secret. In so doing, Pavley guts our right to know what toxic fracking chemicals we are exposed to and strips us of our ability to track fracking chemicals in the environment. Further, the bill requires doctors to sign a confidentiality agreement with industry to see the list of chemicals used to frack a well when a patient requires treatment.

Far from a disclosure bill, SB 4 grants cover to the oil and gas industry.

Robert Dodge, MD

Ventura

Angela Johnson Meszaros

Los Angeles

Dodge is on the board of directors of Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles; Meszaros is the group’s general counsel.

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