BLM extends public comment period on proposed fracking rule change

The Bureau of Land Management announced Friday that it is extending the public comment period on its proposed revised rule to regulate hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas on public and Indian trust lands to Aug. 23.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves injecting pressurized water into rocks at fault lines to release natural gas for extraction. The high interest in the rule, which is the first update of the federal oil and gas regulations since the 1980s, prompted the extension.

The new proposal, published May 25, includes important safety standards, increases flexibility for oil and gas developers, and improves integration with existing state and tribal standards, according to a BLM statement.

Approximately 90 percent of wells drilled on federal and Indian lands use the process, but current BLM regulations are not modern. The new rule would modernize the regulations and establish baseline environmental safeguards.

The three main components of the original proposal are still in place: requiring operators to disclose chemicals used; verifying that fluids used in the process are not contaminating groundwater; and confirming that operators have a water management plan for handling fluids that resurface.

Nevada has not been fracked yet, but Noble Energy Inc. has announced a project that involves drilling for oil and natural gas across a 40,000-acre area of private and public land near Wells in Elko County, about 400 miles north of Las Vegas.

The company hopes to receive the permits needed and begin drilling by the end of the year.

People who wish to submit a comment during this extended period can do so through the U.S. Postal Service, personal or messenger delivery, and online at the Federal eRulemaking Portal.

Mail: U.S. Department of Interior, Director (630), Bureau of Land Management, Mail Stop 2134 LM, 1849 C St. NW, Washington, D.C., 20240, Attention: 1004-AE26.

Personal or messenger delivery: Bureau of Land Management, 20 M. St. SE, Room 2134 LM, Washington, D.C., 20003, Attention: Regulatory Affairs.

Online: www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments at this website.

Contact Rochel Leah Goldblatt at
rgoldblatt@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381.