The contentious new rule, which will take effect in June, represents the first major federal regulation of the controversial drilling technique that’s being blamed for groundwater contamination and even earthquakes nationwide. It will require drilling companies to disclose the chemicals they use in their operations, as well as updates for well construction and disposal of water and other fluids used in fracking on federal land.
The rule, which has been under consideration for more than three years, requires companies to report on their use of chemicals within 30 days of the fracking operation. Energy execs and congressional Republicans promptly condemned the move, saying it duplicates state-level regulations already in place and will amount to additional headaches for companies profiting from the energy boom in the US."This administration never misses a chance to appease radical environmentalists," said House Speaker John Boehner.
Boehner believes the rule will "regulat[e] a process that is already properly regulated" by states. "Meanwhile, the people who work hard everyday to produce American energy safely and reliably will have to bear needless costs and headaches," he said.
Two industry groups have already filed suits to block the new regulation, and Senator. Jim Inhofe (R-OKla.), the chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, announced a new bill designed to keep fracking regulations under state management.
Environmental groups aren’t happy either. They fear the rule is far too permissive and would still allow for unsafe drilling that could further pollute groundwater — a common criticism of the drilling technique.
“Our precious public lands have been sacrificed by the Obama Administration for the short-term profit of the oil and gas industry,” said Wenonah Hauter of Food and Water Watch in a statement co-signed by Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, the Center for Biological Diversity, Environmental Action, and actor Mark Ruffalo, an advisory board member for Americans Against Fracking.
The rule will rely on an online database known as FracFocus.org , a website created by oil industry and intergovernmental groups which gathers data on over 90,000 wells in 16 states.
When it goes into effect, the rule will make the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management the largest customer for FracFocus, which is managed by the Groundwater Protection Council and Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.
While the rule only applies to federal land, which comprises a tenth of the total drilling land in the US, the president hopes it will serve as a new model to be implemented by states and other regulators.
"Ultimately, this is an issue that is going to be decided in state capitals and localities as well as with the industry," said senior adviser to President Obama Brian Deese.
Fracking is a technique that involves pumps water, sand and chemicals into the ground to break apart rocks to allow oil and gas to flow more freely. It has sparked alarm in recent years as it’s been tied to groundwater contamination, and studies have shown it to be the cause of increased earthquake activity in parts of the country not previously seismically active.
