Fracking

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management agreed last week to rewrite a resource management plan for a large swath of California public lands, effectively barring any new oil and natural gas leasing for at least a year.

Four environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against the federal government to void oil and gas leases and stop high-volume hydraulic fracturing in Ohio’s Wayne National Forest (WNF).

Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan this week signed the state’s proposed hydraulic fracturing (fracking) ban into law, a move that was expected after he reversed his position to come out against the practice in a pronouncement last month.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, in a policy announcement late Friday, called for a statewide ban on hydraulic fracturing (fracking), clearing the way for pending legislation outlawing the practice to become law.

Attorneys for the Department of Interior’s (DOI) Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have asked an appellate court to vacate oral arguments and abate a case over a rule governing hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on public and tribal lands because the agency intends to rescind the rule.

A state ban on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is gaining momentum in the Maryland General Assembly.

A panel of lawmakers in Maryland has reportedly asked the state Department of the Environment (MDE) to delay implementing rules governing hydraulic fracturing (fracking).

In a stunning reversal, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a final report Tuesday that says hydraulic fracturing (fracking) can affect drinking water under some circumstances, and it identified several conditions where the effects could be more severe.

The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has received a permit application to use hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on an oil well in federal waters off the coast of Southern California.