September 30, 2014

Wyden, Markey Press Administration to Ensure Public Safety in Fracking Rule

Washington, D.C.  – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Ed Markey, D- Mass., and 10 other senators today pressed for greater transparency and strong safety standards while the administration considers a new rule for hydraulic fracturing methods on public lands, in a letter to the Office of Management and Budget today.

The senators called for public disclosure of all chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, “strong and consistent” standards for the construction and maintenance of hydraulic fracturing wells and the creation of a searchable database that can be accessed by the public for free.

“As stewards of these lands and resources for the American people it is therefore critical that the final rule for hydraulic fracturing on public lands offers stringent protections for the safety of workers, our water, air, lands and public health,” the senators wrote.

The Office of Management and Budget is reviewing a rule proposed by the Department of the Interior to govern hydraulic fracturing on public lands.

Wyden, the former chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, called for similar transparency standards in hydraulic fracturing methods, after holding a series of roundtables on natural gas last year.

Read the full letter here.

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