Goal-Oriented Disclosure Design for Shale Oil and Gas Development

States have acted quickly to respond to the public's demand for information on the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. Proponents of these disclosure requirements have relied on a number of policy rationales. However, the resulting disclosure systems may not be achieving stated goals. Ineffective disclosure requirements risk undermining public confidence in the disclosure process and waste an important opportunity to put these disclosures to work. This article suggests using a Goal-Oriented Disclosure Design approach to HFC disclosure, built around the goals for disclosure, the information end users need to target in pursuit of each goal, and the feedback loops those end users can trigger. The article then walks through the design steps for a disclosure regime intended to fully inform first responders and medical professionals, so that they may timely treat and diagnose patients who may have been exposed to hydraulic fracturing chemicals.