On March 20, 2015 the U.S. Department of the Interior released the new Hydraulic Fracturing Rule that will regulate hydraulic fracturing on public lands managed by the BLM. This will affect approximately 700 million acres of mineral estate underlying both federal and nonfederal lands and an additional 56 million acres of American Indian lands. The BLM estimates that the new well requirements would affect 3,800 oil and gas wells annually.
The new rule will expand the existing BLM regulations on oil and gas operations specified at 43 CFR § 3162.3-1 and Onshore Oil and Gas Orders 1, 2, and 7.
