Two days after North Dakota filed an injunction to delay new federal fracking rules, a district court grants a temporary reprieve.
Related: New Fracking Rules for Public Lands
U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl delayed the new ruling, which was to go into effect this week, saying that permitting of oil and gas wells on federal land will proceed under current regulations until July 22nd.
The case before Judge Skavdahl combined a challenge from North Dakoa, Wyoming and Colorado with one from industry groups who believed the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) did not follow federal rule-making law and exceeded their authority.
“Jessica Kershaw, a BLM spokeswoman said “While the matter is being resolved, the BLM will follow the court’s order and will continue to process applications for permit to drill and inspect well sites under its pre-existing regulations.”
In March, the BLM passed the new regulations after a four-year investigaiton that included over 1.5 million public comments. The new ruling requires:
- A validation of well integrity in order to protect groundwater supplies
- Companies to publicly disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing through the website FracFocus, within 30 days of completing fracturing operations
- Higher standards for interim storage of recovered waste fluids from hydraulic fracturing to mitigate risks to air, water and wildlife
- Companies to submit more detailed information before fracking to reduce the risk of cross-well contamination
In the following video, North Dakota Attorney General, says that the state will go through the lengthy process of a filing a permanent injunction if necessary.