Washington, D.C. — Center for American Progress Visiting Senior Fellow David J. Hayes released the following statement today about the Bureau of Land Management’s standards to improve the safety of hydraulic fracturing practices on federally managed lands. Hayes served as deputy secretary of the interior in the administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama:
Amid this rapidly changing energy landscape, it is vital that safety practices keep pace with advancing technologies and that the public have confidence that drilling is being done as safely as possible. These common sense standards will provide a consistent baseline across all America’s public lands by ensuring that chemicals are responsibly disclosed, that wells are designed and tested properly, and that contaminated water is being treated and disposed of safely. These final standards improve upon earlier drafts in several regards—including by requiring more secure storage of wastewater and strengthening chemical disclosure requirements—while providing flexibility to states that have equal or stronger standards. They are a big step forward toward safer drilling practices on America’s public lands.
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, contact Tom Caiazza at [email protected] or 202.481.7141.