Industry lobbyist expects little Louisiana impact from new federal ‘fracking’ rules

Don Briggs, president of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association, says new regulations from the federal government regarding hydraulic fracturing likely won’t have much impact in Louisiana, since most “fracking” in the state takes place on state-owned land. “All the fracking requirements we have are every bit as good as they’re going to end up coming up with,” Briggs says. In fact, Louisiana already requires identifying the chemicals used in fracking, he says, a measure that has been controversial at the federal level. Briggs says he’s more concerned that a company will make a mistake while using hydraulic fracturing, perhaps contaminating an aquifer somewhere, causing the federal government to shut down all fracking, in a response similar to what happened after the 2010 BP oil spill. Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret says an adversarial federal fracking policy is one of the few things that could derail the momentum of Louisiana industry, which has benefited from low, stable natural gas prices. In an interview today, Briggs said he continues to be frustrated by the lack of progress in the Louisiana Legislature of House Bill 618, the LOGA-favored bill meant to deal with the so-called legacy lawsuit issue. “We’ve got one hell of a fight on our hands,” he says. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re being stalled, and the administration is sitting on the sideline, acting like they’re doing something.” —David Jacobs