Citing Need for Analysis of Impact on Wyoming, Governor Requests Comment Period Extension

Press Release

Governor Matt Mead is asking Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, to extend the comment period on proposed hydraulic fracturing rules. Governor Mead opposes the proposed rules, because they duplicate Wyoming's rules and are unnecessary and cumbersome.

The Bureau of Land Management has drafted a rule for well stimulation on federal and Indian lands. Governor Mead wrote to Secretary Salazar questioning the need for the rule. "Wyoming's rules address well-bore integrity and flowback water, require disclosure of hydraulic fracturing constituents and are applied on federal, private and state lands. The BLM has not expressed any concern about the adequacy of Wyoming's regulatory structure in protecting public health, safety and the environment. I have requested that the BLM not duplicate Wyoming's regulations or impose duplicate regulations on Wyoming."

Wyoming was the first state in the nation to require the disclosure of hydraulic fracturing constituents in 2010.

Governor Mead is requesting a 90-day extension of the comment period based on a recent study projecting more than $1.4 billion in economic impacts to industry. "The State of Wyoming needs time to adequately assess how the proposed rule will impact our State -- for example, Wyoming's budget, local government funding, and jobs," Governor Mead wrote.

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