The Obama administration on Friday is due to unveil rules for oil companies that frack on federal land, included beefed-up safety measures, but won't likely require strict oversight as environmental groups want, according to sources.
The standards have been in the works for more than three years and gone through several drafts with environmentalists and the energy industry fighting over its scope.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a controversial process that involves pumping water, sand and chemicals into a well to extract oil or gas. Environmentalists say fracking poses health risks.
TVNL Comment: No, SCIENTISTS, not environmentalists, have proven that fracking poses health risks. Will the energy industry have to reveal what toxic chemicals are being pumped into the ground and contaminating the land, the water and the air? Yeah, right.