The federal Environmental Protection Agency is resorting to a subpoena to get engineering firm Halliburton to reveal its secret recipe for hydraulic fracturing, multiple news agencies are reporting this morning. The order is part of the EPA's effort to study fracking and its effect on the environment.
According to the New York Times, other gas drilling companies have complied with the agency's request for information, while Halliburton appears to be holding out:
In a statement, the E.P.A. said it had made a voluntary request for the information from eight other major drilling companies, all of which had either provided the information or pledged full cooperation by early December.
By contrast, Halliburton said only that it would “endeavor to complete its response” by the end of January, according to a letter accompanying the subpoena by Peter S. Silva, the agency’s assistant administrator for water.
“E.P.A. believes that Halliburton’s response is inadequate and inconsistent with the cooperation shown to date by the other eight companies,” Mr. Silva wrote.
