________________________________ “The so-called oil boom? It’s all been on private land, nothing, zippo is on federal land,” he/Murkowski said. The truth should not be that difficult to find for the Murkowskis Jim Wall st Journal. The fracking rules apply to natural-gas drilling on federal and tribal lands, not on private or state-owned lands. While an estimated 25% to 30% of fracked wells are on federal land, according to Baird Equity Research, energy experts say the new rules could serve as a template for state officials who oversee energy production. The department oversees oil and natural-gas operations on about 700 million acres. Of the 3,400 wells that are drilled on public lands each year, about 90% use hydraulic fracturing. By TENNILLE TRACY<http://online.wsj.com/search/term.html?KEYWORDS=TENNILLE+TRACY&bylinesearch=true> The Obama administration will soon issue sweeping new environmental-safety rules for hydraulic fracturing on federal land, setting a new standard that natural-gas wells on all lands eventually could follow. The rules, which are likely to be unveiled by the Interior Department within days, are designed to address concerns that the method of extracting natural gas known as "fracking" can contaminate groundwater. Among other things, they create new guidelines for constructing wells and treating waste water, according to a draft of the proposed rules reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. At the same time, the department loosened a proposed requirement for companies tied to disclosing the chemicals they use to extract natural gas from the earth, after the industry complained an earlier version would slow drilling too much. Enlarge Image [FRACKING] [FRACKING] Bloomberg News Anthony Schillings connects a pump to load water at a plant that separates oil, sediment and water mixed during the hydraulic-fracturing process, near Carthage, Texas. The change, which disappointed environmentalists, is a fresh sign that the administration is heeding industry concerns after Republican complaints of overregulation. Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency gave the industry two years to comply with new air-quality standards for oil and natural-gas wells after the industry complained it would be difficult to meet new standards. Initially, the department wanted energy companies to specify in advance which chemicals they put into fracking fluids. Under the draft rules, they would instead have to identify the chemicals after they have already put them into the ground. In the weeks leading up to the proposal of the rules, several oil and natural-gas companies, including Exxon Mobil and Apache<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=APA> Corp.,APA +1.38%<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=APA?mod=inlineTicker> met with top White House officials to weigh in on possible changes, according to public-meeting records. Safety Standards New rules for fracking on federal land would: * Make companies disclose which chemicals they put in the ground * Set standards for well construction and waste water treatment * Let energy companies get permission for fracking through a drilling permit "We fully expect the rule will be better than it was originally proposed," said Jack Gerard, president of the American Petroleum Institute, the main lobbying arm of the oil and natural-gas industry. Apache declined to comment. ExxonMobil declined to comment. The Natural Resources Defense Council praised the administration for reducing the potential for contamination under the new rules but said it was disappointed the department had loosened the chemical-disclosure requirement. "The bottom line for us is that we think the [Interior Department] should have strong rules that should not be weaker than what any state has on its books," NRDC senior policy analyst Amy Mall said. "They should be setting a model for the nation." An administration official familiar with the rules said the standards were "still under development" and that "it would be inappropriate to speculate on what the complete draft may include." More * Judge: No Tax Break for Drilling Equipment<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303877604577382413715497098.html> The fracking rules apply to natural-gas drilling on federal and tribal lands, not on private or state-owned lands. While an estimated 25% to 30% of fracked wells are on federal land, according to Baird Equity Research, energy experts say the new rules could serve as a template for state officials who oversee energy production. The department oversees oil and natural-gas operations on about 700 million acres. Of the 3,400 wells that are drilled on public lands each year, about 90% use hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing involves the use of high-pressure water, sand and chemicals that break open rock seams, making it easier for natural gas to flow out. The process, coupled with a drilling method known as horizontal drilling, is largely responsible for a boom in U.S. natural-gas production. Energy experts predict the U.S. has several decades of natural-gas supplies locked underground. The expected rules are aimed at ensuring the process doesn't contaminate groundwater. Environmental groups, among the most vocal opponents of the drilling method, say hydraulic fracturing should be stopped until experts can confirm it is environmentally safe. Some city governments have banned hydraulic fracturing within their districts. The U.S. government hasn't produced any evidence that contamination occurs. The EPA is studying the issue for a report scheduled to be released in 2014. It recently backed away from claims that hydraulic fracturing contaminated the groundwater in Wyoming and Pennsylvania, at sites developed by Encana<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=ECA> Corp. ECA +0.88%<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=ECA?mod=inlineTicker> andCabot Oil & Gas<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=COG> COG +0.44%<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=COG?mod=inlineTicker> . The industry contends that hydraulic fracturing is safe when a well is constructed correctly. President Barack Obama has started to promote natural gas as a valuable domestic resource that could replace coal in the generation of electricity and supplant oil as a fuel for cars. Republicans and the natural-gas industry contend the president is inhibiting production of natural gas with the new regulations, even as he promotes natural gas to voters as an alternative to traditional fuels. The White House recently formed a task force to coordinate the government's efforts to study and regulate the drilling method. Oil and natural-gas companies for several years have resisted calls to disclose which chemicals they use during fracking, claiming they would force them to reveal proprietary information. Since then, many companies have started to provide that information voluntarily. Some states already require disclosure. Companies say state officials are in a better position than federal officials to regulate hydraulic fracturing because they understand the local geology and community concerns. "There's no way that adding these additional requirements is not going to slow down further permitting on federal lands," said Kathleen Sgamma, a vice president at the Western Energy Alliance, which represents oil and gas companies. Write to Tennille Tracy at [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> . Federal agency postpones all oil and gas lease auctions in California, citing budget problems By Associated Press, Published: May 7 | Updated: Wednesday, May 8, 2:41 AM SAN FRANCISCO — Federal land managers have cited the toll of environmental litigation — as well as budget problems and low staffing — in postponing all oil and gas lease auctions in California until October. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management recently announced it would put off an auction planned for later this month for leases to drill almost 1,300 acres of prime public lands near the Monterey Shale, home to one of the largest deposits of shale oil in the nation. Another auction for about 2,000 acres that had been in the works in Colusa County, about 75 miles northwest of Sacramento, also was put on hold until the end of the fiscal year. “Our priority is processing permits to drill that are already in flight” rather than work on new applications, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell told reporters Tuesday after a Senate budget hearing in Washington. The decision came after a federal judge ruled last month that BLM had violated a key environmental law when the agency auctioned the drilling rights for other parcels near the lush Salinas River Valley before performing a sweeping review of the impacts on water, wildlife and air quality. The ruling was in response to a lawsuit by environmentalists who said the bureau had not properly reviewed the environmental risks associated with hydraulic fracturing and other types of oil and gas development. “BLM’s decision to cancel planned lease sales in California for 2013 is a welcome sign that the agency finally recognizes that its rubber-stamp approach to oil leasing is no longer viable,” said Brendan Cummings, an attorney with the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity, which sued over the previous auction. The decision to postpone leasing doesn’t mean that drilling on existing leases will stop, said BLM spokesman David Christy. The agency is concentrating its limited resources on enforcement on existing leases and other priorities, such as granting renewable energy permits, he said. “For all the legal processes that take place, it takes a lot of staff time to gather information for litigation,” Christy said. “So obviously there’s some effect, but it wasn’t like all by itself it shut us down.” Jim Kenna, the agency’s state director, said BLM’s California office had been talking about the possibility of a suspension since at least March and made the decision to postpone auctions late Friday as a result of the automatic budget cuts that took place March 1. “California is a little different from other states because we have so many established fields, so a lot of our state work is already geared to enforcement,” Kenna said. “We’re trying to understand how we can address those workloads with the reduced capacity.” Amy Krause, a spokeswoman for the BLM in Washington, said she believed other states would hold their lease sales as planned. Industry officials said they were waiting to see what action BLM would take in the fall, and whether the decision would have a broader impact on oil and gas production. “It’s always a concern when domestic energy resources get taken out of the inventory and can’t be brought to the marketplace,” said Tupper Hull, a spokesman for the Western States Petroleum Association, whose members produce 80 percent of California’s oil. “Hopefully BLM will work through these issues and be able to resume oil and gas leasing in short order.” Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has been quietly occurring for decades in several oil-rich California counties, including Los Angeles, Kern, Monterey and Sacramento. The technique involves injecting high-pressure mixtures of water, sand or gravel, and chemicals into rock to extract oil. The technique is also used in other states to recover natural gas. Environmentalists often worry that fracking can contaminate groundwater and pollute the air. The industry, however, has said the practice has been safely used for decades. ___ From: Iowa Discussion, Alerts and Announcements [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Phyllis Mains [[log in to unmask]] Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2013 7:52 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Frank Murkowski blames EXTREME ENVIRONMENTALISTS Lisa's dad and daughter sadly help destroy what pristine wilderness is left on federal land in AK. Phyllis FAIRBANKS — Former Gov. Frank Murkowski said “extreme environmentalists” are responsible for stifling development in Alaska and overzealous government regulation is the cause for slumping oil production. Murkowski, the father of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, made the comments to the weekly luncheon hosted by the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday in a presentation titled “Who owns Alaska.” As much as two thirds of Alaska is owned by the federal government, and Murkowski said the government has been resistant to any development of oil, gas or timber on its lands. He said the oil boom in the Lower 48 has occurred almost exclusively on private land, which isn’t possible in Alaska. “The so-called oil boom? It’s all been on private land, nothing, zippo is on federal land,” he said. “I suggest that Alaska is being left behind and that Alaska’s most promising lands are being locked up. ... If these developments were allowed to proceed they would have a profound impact.” While most angst about development is leveled at agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency or the Interior Department, Murkwoski said the blame should rest with the administration and its political donors, namely what he called “extreme environmentalists.” “Is there any reason that (the federal government is) not pursuing development?” he asked. “It’s not pursuing it because of the lobby associated with America’s environmental community.” While he agreed with the need to develop renewable energies, he accused environmentalists of not understanding the rest of America when it hinders development that would provide domestic sources of energy, creating jobs and economic development. “They have theirs,” he said. “They don’t have the same concerns that the individual American or Alaskan has. They have a different view of the world.” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp