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VOL. 39 | NO. 12 | Friday, March 20, 2015
Lawmakers unhappy with new fracking rules
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the House have found something in common. Many have issues with the Obama administration's new regulations requiring companies that drill for oil and natural gas to disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing.
Republicans say the new regulations, announced last week, will delay new drilling projects and take marginal lands out of production.
Democratic lawmakers say the regulations are so mild that they won't change current operating standards.
The lawmakers' complaints were aired Thursday during a House subcommittee hearing called to review the Bureau of Land Management's budget for the coming fiscal year.
Bureau Director Neil Kornze says fracking is taking place in 32 states, and the new regulations were aimed primarily at those states with limited or no regulation of the practice.