A recent US rule about hydraulic fracturing on federal and tribal lands will have limited effect on existing US oil and natural gas production, said a Barclays Research analyst in New York. The US Department of the Interior issued a long-anticipated final rule to govern fracturing of onshore oil and gas wells ( OGJ Online, Mar. 20, 2015 ). Officials with the US Bureau of Land Management said the regulations, effective in 90 days, will improve safety and help protect groundwater by updating requirements for wellbore integrity, wastewater disposal, and public disclosure of chemicals. Onshore oil production from federal and tribal lands accounted for less than 10% of US oil production according to statistics from 2013, the latest available data, said Michael Cohen, Barclay’s research analyst. Most oil and gas production from federal jurisdiction involves the offshore Gulf of Mexico, he said. “The rulemaking is significant […]