Hydraulic Fracturing Divides U.S. Congress

Lawmakers are heavily divided when it comes to the regulation of hydraulic fracturing. Currently, there are twelve bills in Congress that address the regulation of oil and natural gas operations (four in the Senate and eight in the House). On one side are legislators who believe the federal government needs to play a larger role in regulating oil and gas operations by granting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) more regulatory authority, including the authority to override a state's underground injection control program. On the other side are legislators who disapprove of a one-size-fits-all approach to regulating hydraulic fracturing, and prefer to leave all regulatory responsibility to the states (or, in one instance, Native American tribes). The majority of the bills are from the latter group.