Mead troubled by proposed fracking rules

On Friday, the Bureau of Land Management released new proposals to regulate hydraulic fracturing on public and tribal lands.

Proponents have seen the rules as base-line protection for residents in all states, opponents see them as redundant and bad for business.

Governor Mead says he’s troubled by the rules because Wyoming’s Fracking standards are already more stringent than what the federal government is proposing.

“The problem with it is we want to have initiatives in our states that step up and be proactive on these types of issues,” says Mead. “I think that it’s a bit of disincentive when the federal government steps in and says ‘hey, we’re going to have a cookie cutter approach’.”

Mead says it would be best for the state to be in charge, and to have primacy when it comes to dealing with fracking.

According to the proposed rules companies using hydraulic fracturing on public or tribal land would be required to disclose chemicals used in the process after the job was finished, and would have to address issues related to waste water and drill holes.