Duplicative BLM Rule Could Slow U.S. Energy Renaissance

“Despite the renaissance on state and private lands, energy production on federal lands has fallen, and this rule is just one more barrier to growth,” said API director of upstream and industry operations Erik Milito. “Under the strong environmental stewardship of state regulators, hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling have opened up a new era of energy security, job growth, and economic strength. Increased produc­tion and use of natural gas has helped cut U.S. carbon emissions to a nearly 20-year low, and this decision only stands in the way of further progress, hamper­ing natural gas development on federal lands onshore, where it has already declined an amazing 21.6% since 2009.”

Milito added that “a duplicative layer of new federal regulation is unnecessary,” urging BLM to work carefully with the states to minimize costs and delays created by the new rule to ensure that public lands can still be a source of job creation and eco­nomic growth. Milito credited BLM for following the lead of states that have already adopted FracFocus.org as their preferred tool for improving the availability of information on fracturing fluids.

API highlights that hydraulic fracturing is an advanced engineering technology at the heart of America’s emergence as an energy superpower. Hydraulic fracturing supports more than two million U.S. jobs, has increased supplies of oil and natural gas, and has helped to put downward pressure on energy prices. It also has strengthened the nation’s geopoliti­cal leverage against hostile regimes around the world. In use since 1949, hydraulic fracturing has been applied safely in more than a million operations. In conjunction with strong state regulations, the indus­try utilizes world-class standards and best practices to ensure groundwater and the environment remain protected.