Environmentalist group sues Obama for U.S. Gulf fracking info
An
Arizona based environmentalist group filed a federal lawsuit against
the Obama administration Thursday after federal regulators refused to
release details about offshore unconventional drilling in the U.S. Gulf
of Mexico.
The Center for Biological Diversity alleged in its suit that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has refused to comply with a federal public recross request to find out how frequently hydraulic fracturing is used in the Gulf, the AP said.
The suit, filed in a Washington D.C. federal district court, asks the BOEM to release permits, reports, emails and other documents related to the federal government’s approval for oil and gas companies to use fracking in offshore Gulf wells.
According to the BOEM about 15 percent of wells completed in the U.S. Gulf in 2013 used hydraulic fracturing.
Currently, well operators do not have to file separate environmental impact reports with federal regulators for unconventional offshore projects .
“The public has a right to know where, when and how much fracking the federal government is allowing in the Gulf of Mexico,” Center for Biological Diversity attorney Kristen Monsell said.
The BOEM has not commented on the suit.
A hearing date has not been set yet.
The Center for Biological Diversity alleged in its suit that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has refused to comply with a federal public recross request to find out how frequently hydraulic fracturing is used in the Gulf, the AP said.
The suit, filed in a Washington D.C. federal district court, asks the BOEM to release permits, reports, emails and other documents related to the federal government’s approval for oil and gas companies to use fracking in offshore Gulf wells.
According to the BOEM about 15 percent of wells completed in the U.S. Gulf in 2013 used hydraulic fracturing.
Currently, well operators do not have to file separate environmental impact reports with federal regulators for unconventional offshore projects .
“The public has a right to know where, when and how much fracking the federal government is allowing in the Gulf of Mexico,” Center for Biological Diversity attorney Kristen Monsell said.
The BOEM has not commented on the suit.
A hearing date has not been set yet.