A federal court on Tuesday halted implementation of an Interior Department rule that would set standards for fracking on federal land.
U.S. District Court of Wyoming Judge Scott Skavdahl issued a stay on the hydraulic fracturing rule, but stopped short of issuing a ruling on the preliminary injunction. The stay will put off compliance for the rule, which was set to go into effect Wednesday, by at least a month. The federal government has until July 22 to submit a full administrative record so Skavdahl can weigh whether to issue a preliminary injunction.
Wyoming, North Dakota, Colorado, Utah, the Independent Petroleum Association and the Western Energy Alliance had filed for an injunction, arguing the rule would duplicate already existing state regulations.
“[Bureau of Land Management] was ill-prepared to implement an extremely complex rule in a short period of time,” said Kathleen Sgamma, vice president of government and public affairs with industry group Western Energy Alliance. “We highlighted how the BLM Washington Office has not given sufficient guidance to the state and field offices that are implementing the rule, and as a result they were issuing confused instructions to companies on how to comply. The judge agreed that it makes no sense to implement an ill-conceived rule which could ultimately be overruled in court.”
Interior’s Bureau of Land Management issued the final rule in March, saying it would fill regulatory gaps for a drilling technology that has advanced since most state regulatory frameworks were put in place.
The drilling method involves injecting a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals into tight-rock formations to access hydrocarbons buried deep underground. Fracking has helped turn the United States into the world’s top oil and gas producer, but has invited fears of water pollution.
The Environmental Protection Agency released a long-awaited draft study earlier this month that said fracking didn’t pose “widespread, systemic” effects on drinking water, but suggested parts of the process could lead to issues with water supplies.
