WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — A set of regulations drafted by the Obama administration to regulate fracking on land leased from the US government are due to end with Friday’s publication in the Federal Register of a 114-page document that was released by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
"In light of the protections available under other Federal regulations, the increased prevalence of state and tribal laws and regulations to address hydraulic fracturing, and new industry practices, the BLM believes that the requirements imposed by the 2015 rule are redundant and therefore unnecessarily burdensome," the document posted on Thursday said.
The order explained that the repeal will take place immediately, while also acknowledging that court challenges are likely.
The administration is also promoting domestic production of fossil fuels in an attempt to make the United States the world top energy producer.
"[The repeal] is needed to prevent the unnecessarily burdensome and unjustified administrative requirements and compliance costs of the 2015 rule from encumbering oil and gas development on federal and Indian lands," the BLM wrote in the notice.
Hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as fracking, is a process where water and chemicals are injected into the ground at high pressure to break up rock formations that block access to oil and gas. A series of court challenges has prevented the 2015 regulations from being implemented.
