Lawmakers want to protect natural gas from new drilling regulations

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers pressed the Obama administration on the first day of the new Congress not to impose regulations curtailing drilling technique that taps hard-to-get natural gas reserves but has generated criticism about potential water pollution. Thirty-two members of the Congressional Natural Gas Caucus called on the Interior Department on Wednesday not to hinder producers who use hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas from underground rock formations. The fracking process has boosted U.S. natural gas supplies, but environmentalists fear chemicals used in the process are polluting underground drinking water sources. The group of lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, told Salazar that scientific evidence shows fracking is safe. The caucus, led by co-chairs, Republican Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania and Democrat Dan Boren of Oklahoma, said "hastily proposed regulatory burdens on natural gas will increase energy costs for consumers, suppress job creation in a promising energy sector and hinder our nation's ability to become more energy independent."...more