A U.S. District Court judge in Wyoming on Tuesday temporarily blocked new rules for fracking on federal lands that were set to take effect today. Via The Hill, Judge Scott Skavdahl said the Obama Administration needs more time to explain how it developed the rules and how it considered public comment. The stay is temporary and can be lifted at any time.
The new rules require companies to validate well integrity and the strength of cement barriers between the wellbore and water zones. Companies are also subject to stricter standards for storage of recovered waste fluids and must submit more detailed geological information on preexisting wells. The American Petroleum Institute has called the rules “duplicative” and said they would slow the U.S. energy boom.
The Western Energy Alliance, the Independent Petroleum Association and the states of Colorado, North Dakota, Utah and Wyoming filed the lawsuit.
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