ND to join Wyoming lawsuit against federal fracking rules

BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota, whose oil riches have been unlocked by the use of hydraulic fracturing, said Tuesday it will join Wyoming in a lawsuit challenging a new federal rule requiring more information about the process when it's used on U.S. government lands.

The Obama administration announced in March that it will require companies that drill on federal lands to disclose the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management rule, under consideration for about four years, takes effect in June.

Wyoming and North Dakota believe the move is unlawful in part because it interferes with their own regulations that address the process.

"Our rules are very robust, very stringent and we enforce them," said North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem.

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