WASHINGTON, DC - House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-KY), and Environment and the Economy Subcommittee Chairman John Shimkus (R-IL) issued the following statement in response to the Bureau of Land Management’s revised rule for hydraulic fracturing on federal lands:
“The rule remains an unnecessary layer of red tape standing in the way of important energy production and job creation opportunities. Advances in hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling technology have created an energy renaissance in this country. As the primary regulators, the states have ensured safe and responsible development during this recent energy boom. We have received expert testimony from several state regulators, and they have demonstrated they have the specific capabilities and expertise to better regulate this practice according to the needs of their state.
“While oil and gas production has flourished on state and private lands, we have seen a dramatic decline in production on federal lands as a result of the administration’s restrictive policies. Since 2007, all the increases in oil production have taken place on non-federal lands and we have seen natural gas production on federal lands fall by 33 percent. These new regulations will do nothing to reverse this trend. Energy development on federal lands remains an opportunity to create jobs, increase revenues, and expand our access to affordable domestic energy supplies. Instead of adding more red tape to the process, we should be finding ways to streamline regulations and encourage investment, increased production, and job growth."
