Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Chairman of the House Natural Resources Energy and Minerals Subcommittee, today held a field hearing in Denver on proposed federal regulations for hydraulic fracturing.

Chris Rockers, the Chief Financial Officer of Magna Energy Services testified that proposed new federal regulations "could possibly sound the death knell for energy development in the Rocky Mountains."

Lamborn Chairs Denver Field Hearing on Proposed Hydraulic Fracturing Regulations

Excerpts from Congressman Lamborn’s opening statement at the hearing:

Today we are here in Denver to discuss the economic, job and energy security implications of federal hydraulic fracturing regulation.  Fortunately for us, some of the richest shale fields in the entire world are located within the United States.  Previously unproductive areas such as the Bakken Formation and Barnett Shale are now extraordinarily new productive oil and gas fields because of hydraulic fracturing – which is now used in more than 90% of oil and gas production wells. 

In states like North Dakota, which enjoys the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, energy production has been allowed to flourish due to state and local regulations that both safely guard the environment and public welfare, while allowing for the safe and responsible production of shale oil and gas.  Here in the West, where the energy industry is a driving force of the local and statewide economies, through very comprehensive stakeholder discussions, states have crafted their own regulations to monitor hydraulic fracturing within their boundaries.  These regulations include input from all stakeholders involved and take into consideration the needs of the local communities, local environment and geography and still allow for a robust energy industry to thrive.

However, recently announced plans to implement a one-size-fits program of hydraulic fracturing regulations threaten to impede this progress in all states.  While the Obama Administration frequently touts its record of increased energy productions, unfortunately, as we have seen, the Administration’s anti-energy policies continuously hinder rather than help job creation and energy production. 

To view Lamborn's entire opening statement, as prepared, click here.

To view a list of hearing witnesses, click here.

Background:

Under the Obama Administration, federal oil and natural gas production has significantly declined due to burdensome red tape and onerous bureaucracy. Meanwhile, energy development on State and private lands, not under federal regulation, has flourished. Members will examine the on-the-ground impacts of the Interior Department’s proposed regulations on hydraulic fracturing. A draft copy of the new regulations, reported in February by Politico, show that the Obama Administration is preparing to add significant red tape and delays to the job creating energy production that comes from harnessing U.S. shale gas resources. Hydraulic fracturing is a decades old technology, regulated by the States, that is necessary for the creation of thousands of new jobs and the extraction of large quantities of oil and natural gas from unconventional shale reservoirs.

 # # #