In May the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management issued their proposed rules for oil and gas development on federal lands. In response, Sierra Club’s Executive Director Michael Brune issued the following statement.
“It’s very unfortunate that BLM has issued such weak disclosure requirements. And it is utterly backwards to ask natural gas companies to tell Americans what fracking toxins they are using only after they’ve already pumped them into the ground.
“We know all too well that the natural gas industry cannot be trusted to police itself and we need the strongest protections possible to hold this industry accountable for their dangerous and dirty practices. Americans deserve to know about all the chemicals being used for fracking before they contaminate their drinking water in order to protect their families and hold the gas industry accountable.
“Secretary Salazar and the Department of the Interior have the chance to set the bar high and clean up an industry that has continually exploited public health loopholes and operated with no regard for the health of our lands or the health of our families. It is deeply disappointing that fracking on sensitive public lands is being considered at all, and we fully expect the administration to implement the toughest safeguards possible to rein in irresponsible practices and protect our public spaces.”
The Sierra Club is carefully reviewing the proposed rules, and will work to ensure that they establish stringent standards, including advance public disclosure of any fracking operations and protections that ensure fracking waste does not contaminate public lands or waters by addressing the threats posed by waste pits and faulty casing. Our public lands belong to every American, and deserve the best possible protections.
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