Salazar: Frac rules to protect water

Interior Secretary-designate Sen. Ken Salazar D-Colo. adjust his glasses as he testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009, before Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on his nomination. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Protection: new fracking rules will have water supplies in mind

AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

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By News Wires

 29 February 2012 20:33 GMT

The Obama administration will require energy companies to certify that they are not endangering local water supplies when using hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas and oil, the Interior Department said, according to a report.



Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told a congressional hearing today that his agency is working on additional regulations that will lower the risk of water supplies being tainted during hydraulic fracturing, Bloomberg reported.

The industry certificates will strengthen the oversight of the Bureau of Land Management, which is sending inspectors to drilling sites to ensure proper well design and waste-water management, David Hayes, Salazar’s deputy, told a subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations panel in Washington.

“We are prioritising inspections to deal with potential high-risk issues,” Hayes said. “That includes ensuring that the…

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