Third Way Statement on the Administration’s Hydraulic Fracturing Standards

Third Way issued this statement today on the Obama administration’s new hydraulic fracturing rules announced by the Interior Department. Said Josh Freed, Vice President of Third Way’s Clean Energy Program:

"The Obama Administration’s new rules on hydraulic fracturing are a critical step toward achieving the right balance between providing access to natural gas and protecting our air and water. Over the last six years, natural gas developed from hydraulic fracturing has helped power the United States out of the Great Recession and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While it is critical that we continue to take advantage of this American resource, the natural gas revolution is endangered by the lack of clear, national standards on wells, water disposal, and chemical disclosure. Some communities and states have moved to severely limit or ban hydraulic fracturing. There's a better way. The Administration's proposed new federal standard will help to ensure that hydraulic fracturing continues to provide a cleaner-burning alternative to coal and the back-up that renewables need, and it will do so in a way that protects our water, air, and people."