A recent judge’s decision that overturned Obama administration rules on hydraulic fracturing on federal and Indian lands ignores more than a century of regulatory precedent, an attorney appealing that decision said Monday. “The decision ignores decades of case law,” said Mike Freeman, a Colorado-based attorney with Earthjustice. “We respectfully think that the judge got it flat wrong.” On Friday, Earthjustice, along with the Sierra Club, filed opening briefs with the 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals in an appeal case that may ultimately determine whether the federal government can regulate fracking. The US Department of the Interior also filed briefs arguing that a century of legal precedent and federal regulations allow the agency’s Bureau of Land Management to regulate fracking. Article Continues below… “BLM has the authority to oversee resource extraction on federal and Indian leases, including well-stimulation activities, to protect natural resources and the environment,” Interior wrote. “BLM […]