A new paper from School of Business professor Joel Gehman examines FracFocus, a non-regulatory online registry purporting to inform North Americans about the risks associated with hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. 

Gehman concludes that despite being a popular tool for industry, as well as provincial and state governments, the information disclosed by FracFocus is largely unhelpful to everyday citizens. Information disclosed via regulator-operated websites is more accessible than information disclosed via FracFocus, and is presented in a way that better supports public decision-making.