No fracking way! Trump admin proposes repeal of Obama safeguards on public lands

The Bureau of Land Management has formally proposed repealing safeguards on hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) on federal and tribal lands. Under the direction of the Trump administration and U.S. Department of the Interior chief Ryan Zinke, the BLM’s repeal would eliminate the Obama-era rule that required oil and gas companies to disclose the chemicals used in their operations; to manage fracking fluids that flow to the surface in a safer way; and to improve standards for the construction of oil and gas wells in order to protect surrounding water supplies. Last June, when a judge ruled that the BLM was overstepping its congressional mandate, Obama officials appealed the decision. But back in March, Trump’s BLM announced that the 2015 rule was not in line with the new administration—nor with their friends in the oil and gas industry.