SB 243: Keeping Fracking Under Wraps in West Virginia

It looks like West Virginia is following in the footsteps of other states like Pennsylvania with a new law that would place gag orders on doctors, nurses, and any other health professional who might be treating a person who has been sickened by the chemicals used in fracking. As with the Pennsylvania law, West Virginia’s Senate Bill 243 requires that a fracking operation disclose the constituents of their fracking mixture to a health care professional when such an individual requests that information. But the heath care professional cannot further disclose that information, event to the person who has been made ill by the fracking chemicals.

            SB 243 has passed the West Virginia Senate and is now before the West Virginia House Judiciary Committee. Like “Ag Gag” laws, this is just more help from governors and state houses to make dubious industry operations and practices opaque to the American public.