A coalition of environmental and landowner groups is appealing a district judge's decision that individual ingredients used in hydraulic fracturing can be protected under Wyoming's trade secrets law. The group, which includes the Powder River Basin Resource Council and the Wyoming Outdoor Council, appealed the decision by Natrona County District Judge Catherine Wilking to the Wyoming Supreme Court. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a process wherein water, chemicals and sand are pumped below ground to break rock and free trapped oil and natural gas. In March, Wilking sided with energy industry attorneys who argued reverse engineering and industry competition make proprietary information worth protecting. A date for possible arguments before the Wyoming Supreme Court has not been set.
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