Mar 28, 2012 IPAA Expresses Support for Legislation Reaffirming States Are Best-Suited to Regulate Hydraulic Fracturing
Today, Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK), ranking member of the Senate Energy and Public Works Committee, introduced the FRESH Act which clarifies that states have primary jurisdiction over regulation, permitting, and developing guidance of hydraulic fracturing technology. President and CEO Barry Russell expressed the Independent Petroleum Association of America’s (IPAA) support:
“America’s oil and natural gas producers have safely utilized hydraulic fracturing technology since 1947. Recently, independent producers have combined horizontal drilling with hydraulic fracturing to unlock vast reserves of oil and natural gas from shale, the development of which is creating millions of jobs and securing our energy future.
“This legislation clearly defines the states’ expertise in regulating hydraulic fracturing. After all, state governments have carefully and successfully regulated hydraulic fracturing for decades. Recently, they have taken initiative to upgrade their regulatory regimes through the innovative programs of State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Regulations (STRONGER) and FracFocus.
“IPAA lauds Senator Inhofe’s initiative, which eliminates confusion in the regulation of hydraulic fracturing by clarifying that regulation remains with the states that have been and continue to be the most effective managers of fracturing operations. It would end the unnecessary and counterproductive actions by federal agencies to complicate regulation of fracturing through the creation of new federal permitting requirements. The FRESH Act would create a return the nation to a hydraulic fracturing regulatory structure that both protects the environment and enhances the development of American oil and natural gas.”
