Pocan Introduces Bill To Ban Fracking On Publicly Owned Lands

A Wisconsin congressman has introduced a bill that would ban hydraulic fracture drilling, also known as fracking, on publicly owned lands.

U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan’s bill is being hailed by environmental groups as the strongest anti-fracking measure introduced at the federal level. It would ban hydro-fracking for oil and natural gas on all federal lands. Pocan said this is the only way to control an industry, which refuses to disclose the chemicals it’s pumping into the ground.

“I mean, we all as taxpayers, this is our land and if we’re going to be leasing this out we should know what’s going in our land and we should know what the safety risks are for the workers who could be at these facilities,” Pocan said.

The bill was referred to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday.

The federal Bureau of Land Management is expected to release regulations for fracking on public lands next year.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated to reflect the bill’s current status in Congress.