BLM updates fracking proposals

May 20, 2013 | By Travis Mitchell

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released a new draft proposal for updated hydraulic fracturing safety standards, which it says are now more than 30 years old.

About 36 million acres of Federal land across 24 states are being leased for oil and gas development, according to BLM data. Approximately 90 percent of wells on BLM lands use a fracking process.

The three main focuses of the proposed regulations include: requiring contractors to disclose chemicals used in the fracking process; improving drilling equipment standards to ensure that fluids are not contaminating groundwater; and requiring that oil and gas operators have a water management plan in place should fluids creep back towards the surface.

The Bureau hopes to find common-sense methods that support both fracking and environmental well-being.

"We know from experience that hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling methods can be used safely and effectively, employing many of the best management practices reflected in this draft rule," said BLM Principal Deputy Director Neil Kornze.

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell said she wants to make sure "the public has full confidence that the right safety and environmental protections are in place."

But not everyone is on board with the changes.

The Sierra Club and the Environmental Defense Fund both sounded off in opposition to what they see as soft rulemaking related to a serious environmental problem. The American Petroleum Institute released a statement saying states -- not the federal government -- should take the lead on fracking regulations.

The new proposal carries a 30-day comment period. The Bureau's 2012 iteration of the standards received more than 175,000 public comments.

For more:
-see the updated proposal
-see this article

http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/blm-updates-fracking-proposals/2013-05-20