Jeff Bingaman: “We will need to use hydraulic fracturing of gas wells over the next decade. An unneeded regulation of hydraulic…”

“We will need to use hydraulic fracturing of gas wells over the next decade. An unneeded regulation of hydraulic fracturing could make some of these wells uneconomical to produce and could defeat our important efforts to increase our energy independence--particularly as it relates to natural gas. My proposed amendment would sensibly allow hydraulic fracturing to assist efforts to increase our energy independence, while studying whether there is any known environmental harm that would require Federal regulation. For this reason, I urge my colleagues to vote for this amendment.”