Sep 21, 2017 America’s Independent Oil, Natural Gas Producers Respond to Appeals Court Dismissal of Hydraulic Fracturing Rule Case
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) President and CEO Barry Russell issued the following statement on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit decision to dismiss the appellate case on IPAA and Western Energy Alliance’s challenge of the Obama administration Interior Department’s final rule governing hydraulic fracturing on federal and Indian lands:
“Today’s court decision confirms what IPAA has advocated all along: Dismissing the appeal protects independent producers from the uncertainty of having to potentially comply with regulations that are certain to be revoked. All three judges ruled unanimously that it would be a waste of judicial resources to proceed with this case. The appellate court’s decision confirms IPAA’s consistent position that the hydraulic fracturing rule represented regulatory overreach and that the rulemaking process was flawed from the very beginning. Independent producers have been engaged with the U.S. Department of the Interior on its proposal and repeatedly shared our concerns with the Obama administration at every step of this rulemaking process and in numerous follow-up meetings with federal regulators. IPAA stands ready to work with the Department of the Interior and the new administration on a workable resolution for the environment, American energy production and economic development, well-paying U.S. jobs, and the nation’s energy security.”
Background:
On March 20, 2015 IPAA and Western Energy Alliance filed a lawsuit on the Obama administration’s final rule regulating hydraulic fracturing activities on federal lands. IPAA has long maintained that the federal government’s effort to regulate hydraulic fracturing is unnecessary, duplicative, and would drive independent producers – and the royalties that come along with them – from operating on federal lands. Hydraulic fracturing has been around since 1947 and regulation of the practice has been properly and responsibly conducted at the state level for 70 years. The associations’ legal challenge remains ongoing.
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. Learn more about IPAA by visiting www.ipaa.org and following @IPAAaccess on Twitter.
