The U.S. government released a new set of rules Friday that are designed to support responsible hydraulic fracturing on public and American aboriginal lands.
Hydraulic fracturing has led to a dramatic increase in energy production in the United States. But the oil and gas drilling technique has also raised health concerns because it involves the injection of a cocktail of chemicals into the ground to fracture rocks, allowing for the extraction of oil and gas deposits.
“The common sense standards will improve safety and help protect groundwater by updating requirements for well-bore integrity, waste water disposal and public disclosure of chemicals, the U.S. Department of the Interior said in a press release.
“Current federal well-drilling regulations are more than 30 years old and they simply have not kept pace with the technical complexities of today’s hydraulic fracturing operations,’’ said Sally Jewell, Secretary of the Interior.
Key components of the rule, which take effect in 90 days include:
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Provisions for ensuring protection of groundwater supplies by requiring a validation of well integrity and strong cement barriers between the wellbore and water zones through which the wellbore passes.
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Increase transparency by requiring companies to publicly disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing to the Bureau of Land Management through the website FracFocus, within 30 days of completing fracturing operations.
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Higher standards for interim storage of recovered waste fluids from hydraulic fracturing to mitigate risks to air, water and wildlife.
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Measures to lower the risk of cross-well contamination with chemicals and fluids used in the fracturing operation, by requiring companies to submit more detailed information on the geology, depth and location of pre-existing wells to afford the BLM an opportunity to better evaluate and manage unique site characteristics.
The U.S. government said there are more than 100,000 oil and gas wells on federally managed lands. Of wells currently being drilled, over 90% use hydraulic fracturing, it said.
The rule applies only to development on public and tribal lands.
According to The Canadian Press, two groups, the Independent Petroleum Association of America and the Western Energy Alliance, filed suit in federal court in Wyoming seeking to block the rule. The suit claims the rule would impose unfair burdens that will ``complicate and frustrate oil and gas production on federal lands.''
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., chairman of the Senate environment panel, introduced a bill to keep regulations under state management, saying the new rule ``adds unnecessary, duplicative red tape that will in turn make it more costly and arduous for our nation to pursue energy security.''
The League of Conservation Voters called the bill an important step forward to regulate fracking. Even so, the group was disappointed with the continued reliance on FracFocus, a private website that has taken on increasing prominence in recent years as it collects data on drilling sites.