Barrasso: BLM Can't Assure Fracking Rule Won't Push Energy Production Off Federal and Indian Lands

Statement

Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) discussed the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) newly proposed hydraulic fracturing rule with Tim Spisak, the Deputy Assistant Director of Minerals and Realty Management at the BLM, during the Senate Energy Committee's forum on natural gas.

Excerpts of Sen. Barrasso's Remarks & Question:

"Last Thursday, the Bureau of Land Management proposed a 171-page rule for hydraulic fracturing on Federal public lands and on Indian lands--that's an additional 171 pages of red tape on American energy production.

"It is far from clear why BLM even needs to issue these regulations.

"Wyoming adopted hydraulic fracturing regulations almost three years ago.

"Since then, public land states, such as Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah, have also adopted hydraulic fracturing regulations.

"Many of us from public land states--which produce oil and natural gas--are concerned that BLM's rule will push oil and gas production off Federal public lands and off Indian lands.

"So, we're concerned that BLM's rule will put Federal public lands and Indian lands at a competitive disadvantage with state and private lands.

"In March of 2012, Bob Abbey, then the Director of BLM, testified that oil and gas producers were already moving to the south and east, he said, in order to avoid Federal lands.

"This will cost states and Indian tribes thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in revenue.

"While I am still reviewing BLM's rule, I would like to bring Mr. Spisak into the conversation and ask whether you can assure us that BLM's hydraulic fracturing rule will not push oil and gas production off Federal public lands and off of Indian lands?"

Excerpts of Mr. Spisak's Response:

"Well, I'm not sure I can make that particular assurance, but I know we've worked with this revised proposed rule that will be published [in the Federal Register] tomorrow to look at where we were seeing where there might be duplication or redundancy in the rules in what the states are doing and so we're trying to strike that balance where we would, through memorandums of understandings that would be implemented with individual states, to identify those areas and work out who will take care of what."

Source