Industry Group Says Fracking Regulation Should Be Left to the States

The American Petroleum Institute continues to bash the Department of Energy’s fracking report. In a conference call with reporters today, API’s Eric Milito said the D.O.E. report should have addressed the “gaps” in regulation and leave oversight of the natural gas industry to the states and local communities, rather than the feds. Milito pointed to Pennsylvania as a state that has stepped up its oversight of gas drilling. But when asked about a recent court challenge by Range Resources to overturn Allegheny County’s fracking ban, and whether local zoning boards should be able to make rules regarding drilling, Milito said it’s a tough question. He did say API is against outright fracking bans.
Milito continued to say there were no gas industry representatives in the panel, which was tasked with advising Secretary of Energy Steven Chu on how to make gas drilling safer for the environment and public health. When asked about subcommittee member Stephen Holditch, a petroleum engineer who founded his own consulting company that specializes in shale gas, Milito said the panel needed someone who is currently working for the industry, and who has been in the field for the past several years. Holditch has written about hydraulic fracturing and has taught fracking for 30 years.

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