Thursday, April 2, 2015
Wyoming March 27 took action against the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) effort to regulate hydraulic fracturing. At Gov. Matt Mead’s direction, the state attorney general, Peter K. Michael, filed a petition for review of final agency action in federal court.
In the filing, the attorney general’s office argued that the BLM rule conflicts with the Safe Drinking Water Act, exceeds BLM’s statutory jurisdiction, and unlawfully interferes with Wyoming’s hydraulic fracturing regulations. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Court judge Scott W. Skavdahl.
“The BLM proposed this rule that exceeds its authority,” said Mead. “This is troubling, both legally and from a policy standpoint. Wyoming has fracking. These rules have been in place for years and provide for the safe development of minerals. I am hopeful that whatever happens in the case, there is recognition that states like Wyoming should be rewarded for their leadership, not punished by having additional layers of regulation.”
In the filing, the attorney general’s office argued that the BLM rule conflicts with the Safe Drinking Water Act, exceeds BLM’s statutory jurisdiction, and unlawfully interferes with Wyoming’s hydraulic fracturing regulations. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Court judge Scott W. Skavdahl.
“The BLM proposed this rule that exceeds its authority,” said Mead. “This is troubling, both legally and from a policy standpoint. Wyoming has fracking. These rules have been in place for years and provide for the safe development of minerals. I am hopeful that whatever happens in the case, there is recognition that states like Wyoming should be rewarded for their leadership, not punished by having additional layers of regulation.”
