Yesterday Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke met with the Bureau of Land Management and Natural Resources subcommittee to express his concerns about the BLM’s inexperience with fracking. Zinke mainly focused on the available science as well as expertise the BLM has to offer:

"I'm concerned about this science of what we're doing and who's in the best position to make sure that what we're doing is right," Zinke said. "And my question to you, Director Kornze, is who within the BLM staff and permanent party has relevant, current experience in fracking?"

Zinke said BLM Director Neil Kornze has faced scrutiny on how the "memorandum of understanding" between the BLM and the states will operate.

"And the question of fracking, given there's never been a documented case between a frack and an aquifer, and then given that the industry is saying that additional costs per well head is going to be about $100,000 per well head, your cost is about $10,000," Zinke said. "So there's a difference of opinion, there's a difference of data, and that difference is significant."

Kornze responded saying that "Because BLM manages such a scattered land pattern across the country, it’s very important to work efficiently with state regulators" and that "the BLM can more or less cross-deputize state inspectors to do that work."

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