Jun 22, 2016 Statement on the BLM Hydraulic Fracturing Rule Court Decision
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night, U.S. District Court Judge Scott Skavdahl struck down the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) final rule on hydraulic fracturing. Judge Skavdahl agreed with IPAA, Western Energy Alliance, four oil-producing states, and an Indian tribe that BLM does not have the congressional authority to regulate hydraulic fracturing on federal lands.
Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) President and CEO Barry Russell issued the following statement on the Judge’s ruling:
“America’s energy renaissance has been one of the key components in revitalizing our economy and keeping that momentum going has been U.S. independent oil and natural gas producers’ top priority. IPAA has long-said that the federal government’s attempt to regulate hydraulic fracturing is unnecessary, duplicative, and would further drive independent producers from federal lands. Hydraulic fracturing technology has been around since 1947 and regulation of the practice has been conducted safely and responsibly throughout the United States for over sixty years. Independent producers are good stewards of our lands. We recognize that every energy-producing area has different needs and requirements, which is why the states are far more effective at properly regulating hydraulic fracturing than the federal government. And many of these states have modernized their regulations within the last ten years.
“The Judge could not have been more clear when he ruled, ‘Congress has not directed the BLM to enact regulations governing hydraulic fracturing. Indeed, Congress has expressly removed federal agency authority to regulate the activity, making its intent clear.’
“We’re pleased to see the Judge set aside the Interior Department’s final rule as it does not have congressional authority to police this already strictly-regulated practice.”
Click here to read the Judge’s ruling.
IPAA and Western Energy Alliance filed a lawsuit in March 2015 challenging the federal rule, with Colorado, North Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, and the Ute Indian Tribe signing onto the challenge.
About the Independent Petroleum Association of America
The Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) is a national upstream trade association representing thousands of independent oil and natural gas producers and service companies across the United States. Independent producers develop 90 percent of the nation’s oil and natural gas wells. These companies account for 54 percent of America’s oil production, 85 percent of its natural gas production, and support over 2.1 million American jobs.
