Do you trust Obama, Salazar to regulate fracking?

Daniel Horowitz:

Shale technology coupled with horizontal drilling has created the biggest oil and natural gas boom in recent years.  Fracking could become the most auspicious innovation of the past decade.  It has already created thousands of jobs, and has the potential to drive down the cost of energy and reinvigorate our economy.  Unfortunately, the more successful the private innovation, the more Obama’s regulatory regime will ensure it faces inexorable obstacles.

Fossil fuel production on federal lands, in general, is at a 9-year low, with most of the shale boom taking place on state and private lands.  Now the Feds want to ensure that shale fracking never takes off on federally owned land.  Yesterday, a top White House aide announced that despite the recent delay, the Department of Interior is still set to unveil new fracking regulations before the end of the year.  Under the false pretense of protecting the water table, the DOI will create new guidelines for constructing wells for fracking operations on federal lands.  This, despite the fact that there is absolutely no evidence that hydraulic fracturing contaminates the water supply.  In fact, ubber-leftist Lisa Jackson, the Director of the EPA, has admitted that there is no proof to substantiate the claim promulgated by environmentalist groups.

We must be wary of allowing the federal government to obtain a foothold in this successful field.  Up to 30% of all fracking wells are on federal lands and would be encumbered by these regulations.  Moreover, many states, especially those with Democrat-controlled legislatures, will be inclined to mimic new federal regulations on state-owned lands, and even private land.  At present, the states have done a good job in overseeing successful fracking wells.  Let’s keep it that way.

It is incumbent upon Congress to block the administration from getting its hands on shale fracking.  This industry is simply too important to be thrown to the mercy of Obama’s regulatory regime.

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Congressman Louis Gohmert is pushing a bill that would keep the regulation of fracking at the state level.  It will probably take a Republican controlled Senate and President for it to become law, but opposition to it by Democrats should be an election issue that will help Republicans.

We have seen what the anti energy left can do when they control the Interior Department.