FILE - In this June 25, 2012 file photo, a crew works on a gas drilling rig at a well site for shale based natural gas in Zelienople, Pa. The oil and gas drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," mobilizes thousands around the country both for and against the process, industry and some environmental. Hydraulic fracturing to drill for oil and natural gas has not caused widespread harm to drinking water in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday in a draft report. The report found several specific instances where poorly constructed drilling wells and improper wastewater management affected drinking water resources. But it said the number of cases was small compared to the large number of wells that use hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking. The controversial drilling technique could affect drinking water if safeguards are not maintained, the report said. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

DURANGO | The Southern Ute Indian Tribe has filed a lawsuit against the Department of the Interior, challenging the Bureau of Land Management’s new hydraulic fracturing rule.

The rule requires a federal permit on public and tribal lands, in addition to the state permits already required.

According to the Durango Herald (https://tinyurl.com/ohnyjwa ), the tribes say they have authority over their own land.

The rule, which is set to go into effect Wednesday, also is the subject of lawsuits filed earlier this month, including a joint suit by the states of Colorado, Wyoming and North Dakota.

Hydraulic fracturing is a technique used by the energy industry to extract oil and gas from rock by injecting high-pressure mixtures of water, sand or gravel and chemicals.

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Information from: Durango Herald, https://www.durangoherald.com

2 replies on “Southern Ute Indian Tribe challenges federal fracking law”

  1. The states should retain the right to license and Native Americans should certainly have the right. After the white man pushed the indian to places the white thought were useless, now that there is value involved, he wants the land rights back. We are a sick society!

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