Fracturing Regulations are Effective in State Hands Act

Plain-Language Summary (cached)

This bill addresses who has the authority to regulate hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking. Hydraulic fracturing is a drilling technique that injects pressurized fluid into underground rock formations to extract oil, natural gas, or geothermal energy. Currently, the federal government plays a role in overseeing this process, particularly on federal lands. The bill would give each individual state the exclusive power to write and enforce its own rules governing the injection of fluids and materials used in hydraulic fracturing within its borders. This would apply to all oil, gas, and geothermal production activities, meaning the federal government would no longer have authority to set or enforce its own fracking regulations. Notably, the bill extends this state authority even to federal lands located within a state's boundaries. So if a company is fracking on land owned by the federal government but situated within a particular state, that state's rules would apply rather than any federal standards. In practical terms, the bill shifts regulatory control over fracking entirely from the federal level to the state level across the board.