- Director of N.D. Dept. of Mineral Resources: “If [the FRAC Act] happens, I can tell you that our Bakken and Three Forks drilling will have to stop for two to three years,” he said. He said when it happened to Alabama for coalbed methane, “they completely had to shut the door” for two years.
- Pomeroy to Pelosi: “Imposing new regulations now will do nothing to protect drinking water and will only serve to slowdown development resulting in the loss of thousands of jobs …”
EPA may halt oil activity
Pomeroy asks to turn down regulations
By Eloise Ogden
Minot (N.D.) Daily News
July 17, 2010
Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., is asking House leadership to turn down any new regulations on hydraulic fracturing.
A state minerals expert also says any new regulations on hydraulic fracturing would have a catastrophic impact on the oil development in North Dakota.
Pomeroy sent a letter Friday to Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging her to reject any proposals that would place burdensome, new regulations on hydraulic fracturing in legislation
aimed at responding to the Gulf oil spill.
Some members of Congress have discussed attempting to attach new regulations on hydraulic fracturing to legislation aimed at addressing that tragedy, according to Pomeroy.
Lynn Helms, director of the N.D. Department of Mineral Resources, during a presentation in Minot in May, spoke about if the Environmental Protection Agency decides to regulate hydraulic fracturing.
“We really have got to stop that from happening,” he said. He said his department put together a document which tells how North Dakota regulates it and has gone to EPA headquarters and Gov. John Hoeven.
“If this happens, I can tell you that our Bakken and Three Forks drilling will have to stop for two to three years,” he said. He said when it happened to Alabama for coalbed methane, “they completely had to shut the door” for two years.
“By the time they got the rules written, the play had moved on and it has never been what it was before,” he said. “So that’s a huge cloud sitting over our industry a major impact. It would just reduce our activity to almost zero for two to three years.”
In his letter to Pelosi, Pomeroy said, “I believe that this would be a mistake and would find little support in the Senate. The EPA is currently undergoing a congressionally mandated study into hydraulic fracturing that is expected to be completed in 2012.”
Pomeroy called it “irresponsible” for Congress to enact new regulations
before the results of that study are known.
“Imposing new regulations now will do nothing to protect drinking water and will only serve to slow down development resulting in the loss of thousands of jobs and more imported oil. It is critical that any legislation related to the Gulf oil spill focus on responding to that tragedy and not include additional burdens on hydraulic fracturing,” he said.
Pomeroy pointed out that over the past two years, North Dakota has significantly increased its oil production, rising from the ninth largest oil producing state to the fourth. “This increase in production has resulted in a significant state budget surplus and the nation’s lowest unemployment rate,” he said.
Pomeroy toured oil-field operations in the Stanley area last week. “During these visits I saw firsthand the significant safeguards that are put into place to protect groundwater during hydraulic fracturing operations,” he said.
He said North Dakota currently has strong regulations on oil and gas development that more than adequately protect groundwater.
“These requirements include strict safety requirements on the storage and disposal of hydraulic fracturing fluid and on encasing the well to avoid leaks. The initial phases of wells are encased in several layers of cement from the surface to below the level of the deepest potable water source and below that level, wells are encased in an additional layer of cement to ensure that groundwater is in no danger of contamination,” he said.
Pomeroy said the regulation of hydraulic fracturing is best left to the states
. “Regulators in each individual state have a better idea of what steps are necessary to protect their residents and environment. Additionally, they are better equipped to implement commonsense regulations that fit their states unique needs than a catchall Environmental Protection Agency regulation,” he said.
NOTE: Click HERE to view this article online and HERE to view Rep. Pomeroy’s letter to Speaker Pelosi.
Hydraulic Fracturing Key to Job Growth Across the Nation
For 60 years, energy-producing states have used hydraulic fracturing – a tightly regulated energy stimulation technology – to access and increase domestic oil and natural gas production. Without this technology, much of America’s job-creating energy resources would simply be unreachable. And today, thanks to advancements in horizontal drilling techniques coupled with fracture stimulation, enormous amounts of homegrown energy are being leveraged in stable supplies of America-made energy and tens of thousands of good-paying jobs.
North Dakota’s Bakken Shaleformation is a shining example of how fracturing is positively impacting not only the state, but the nation’s energy security altogether. As national unemployment rates continue to hover near double digits, and with millions still without steady work, North Dakota’s economy, and its workforce, have never been stronger — thanks in large part to hydraulic fracturing.
This from Reuters today:
North Dakota and Alaska have added the most jobs, while Nevada, California and Florida have lost the most, in the last five years, according to research released on Monday. … In first place, North Dakota added 21,300 jobs, and Alaska followed by adding 10,100 jobs from 2005 to 2010, it said. North Dakota saw an increase of 3,200 jobs in the last year alone, it said.
Some in Washington, unfortunately, continue to work to increase layers of unnecessary bureaucratic red tape aimed to stripping energy-producing states of their ability to effectively regulate fracturing. You see, fracturing has always been – and continues to be – ably and closely regulated by individual states, who are best equipped to oversee this critical process. Recognizing the devastating economic and national security threats posed by such actions, some members of Congress – including North Dakota Congressman Earl Pomeroy – continue to fight back.
“Shutting Down the Bakken?” is how North Dakota’s KFYR-TV describes these efforts in Washington. This from the new report:
It may not look like much, but hydraulic fracturing is what makes drilling in North Dakota possible. The process, also known as hydro fracking or just fracking, breaks up rocks two miles below the ground, allowing rigs to bring the oil to the surface. “Without fracking, we can`t get the Bakken oil out, period,” says Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-North Dakota. That’s what has Pomeroy and oil workers in our state so concerned about proposals in Congress to add new regulations for hydraulic fracturing. Pomeroy says cutting down on fracking on land is no way to address concerns raised by the Gulf oil spill. He believes ending what frack crews do would be devastating for North Dakota.
And from Oklahoma to Upstate New York, major newspapers and energy industry experts are also speaking about attempts in Washington to discredit fracturing’s long and clear record of environmental safety and effectiveness.
In a recent editorial, under the headline “Rep. Henry Waxman seems obsessed by fracturing concerns,” The Oklahoman writes this:
Hydraulic fracturing’s effect on water supplies has been examined for years and likely will be until the last syllable of this administration’s executive orders is written. Tomorrow and tomorrow can’t come soon enough for energy executives. No adverse impact from fracturing has been proven. Shaking up rock through fracturing is essential for releasing natural gas from shale formations; natural gas is essential for transitioning power generation away from coal. Gas is also key (along with offshore oil drilling) in reducing dependence on foreign supplies.
And IOGA-NY’s Michelle Blackley took to the pages of the Syracuse Post-Standard to highlight the important role that fracturing plays in job creation and energy security. Under the headline “Hydrofracking has safe record and spurs economy,” Ms. Blackley writes this:
Hydrofracking is an environmentally responsible way to stimulate the flow of energy from new and existing oil and gas wells. It is well-regulated and has been employed over 1 million times without a single incident of drinking water contamination. Hydrofracking’s record of safety and impressive ability to help make the most of our domestic energy resources designate it as one of the most important tools in our nation’s effort to achieve greater energy independence.
