One thing, however, that DeHaan and others mentioned was Obama signing a fiscal omnibus spending bill that lifted a year-old prohibition on most oil exports. That expanded markets for domestic producers. The legislation was described in news reports as a bipartisan compromise, with Republicans getting the export ban lifted and Democrats getting extensions on wind and solar tax credits. Obama signed the legislation on Dec.
It later issued positive environmental reviews for the expanded Keystone XL, which would also run through Canada. The Department of Interior, for its part, estimates that the rules will add about 0. The environmental argument: Environmentalists, meanwhile, criticized the rules for not going far enough. In particular, some green groups wanted drillers to disclose the chemicals they used before they start drilling — not 30 days afterwards. And, they say, the rules do nothing to limit the chemicals that could be used or restrict drilling near ecologically sensitive areas.
Bruce Hill, a geologist with the Clean Air Task Force, highlighted a couple of places where he thought the rule was too weak:. This is unlikely to be the last attempt to regulate fracking. The Obama administration has also been working on steps to curb methane leaks from oil and gas operations, which can exacerbate climate change.
BLM is expected to come up with a new rule in the next several months to address the flaring of methane from public lands. Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency has been working on its own measures to curtail methane leaks from oil and gas — including fracking wells.
On top of that, the EPA is working on a multi-year study of the health risks from fracking. Depending on the outcome of that report, the agency could very well decide to impose further regulations on fracking on both state and private land. Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower through understanding. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all.
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Obama's controversial new fracking rules, explained. Share this story Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share All sharing options Share All sharing options for: Obama's controversial new fracking rules, explained. Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. The new standards , by the Bureau of Land Management, will require oil and gas drillers on federal lands to disclose the chemicals they use in fracking.
Companies will also face stricter standards in both constructing wells and disposing wastewater afterward. Americans Against Fracking represents more than organizations from across the country who support banning fracking. The group delivered , public comments to the BLM last year in response to the proposed rule, urging the BLM to protect public lands from drilling and fracking.
President Obama should use his authority to keep fossil fuels in the ground by placing a ban on federal fossil fuel leasing. Americans believe that preserving the environmental integrity of these areas for generations to come is a critically important policy goal, especially in light of new evidence about fracking-related harm to natural resources.
One of our representatives will be in touch soon to help get you started with your demo. President Joe Biden prepares to sign a series of executive orders at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office hours after his inauguration Jan. Much like the last time Democrats took control of the White House, President Joe Biden may find himself needing to support increased access to a controversial resource to achieve key policy goals.
For former President Barack Obama, that resource was natural gas — a pivotal part of shifting the U. For Biden, mined battery metals will likely be needed to accomplish signature climate policies, such as mass deployment of electric vehicles.
Federal mineral mining financing has already been freed up by the outgoing Trump administration, the prospects of green stimulus appear poised to ratchet up demand for mined materials, and environmental permitting for mining looks unlikely to change.
With that setup, the Biden administration could take a leaf out of Obama's book, presiding over the blossoming of a policy-critical sector in part by simply not restricting it. Biden already signaled Jan. Mining executives worried about more restrictive regulation or strident environmental reviews under Biden could look at the Obama administration's approach to hydraulic fracking and natural gas production for some hints at a possible future.
Barack Obama didn't come to Washington to be the oil president; he came to actually bring an energy transformation into force, and he got transformed by oil and gas. The ability to get where he wanted to go on green energy — it didn't exist. From start to finish, the U.
Environmental Protection Agency's study of one facet of fracking — its potential threat to drinking water — took nearly six years and produced no real change in federal regulation of oil and gas fracking. As the shale boom gained steam, many raised concerns that the practice of injecting a cocktail of chemicals into the ground under high pressure represented a risk to drinking water supplies.
Public hearings in advance of the EPA study's design showed sharply divided communities. Torn between quick cash from lease bonuses and production royalties and a lack of reliable information on fracking, neighbors in shale country praised and protested, in equal measure, the sea change occurring across their land.
EPA administrators repeatedly expressed concerns about the unknowns of fracking as their investigators reported tainted water discoveries near gas fields from Pavillion, Wyo. Still, Obama praised natural gas as the fuel of the future in several State of the Union speeches while natural gas production from shale wells quintupled.
Even though New York banned fracking, Obama got the gas he needed to crush coal as a fuel for power while reducing U. No significant new federal regulations governing fracking and drinking water were developed.
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