FrackingLawmakers have passed new rules for mining natural gas in Tennessee – with rare blessings from the industry and environmental groups alike.
But while the two groups agreed the regulations were a good step for the natural gas industry, conservation groups say some aspects of the regulations are full of hot air.
The Tennessee Joint Government Operations Committee on Wednesday approved new rules for hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, drafted by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
Fracturing is a method of mining natural gas by injecting pressurized, chemically treated water or gas into shale, causing it to fracture and release trapped gas.
The more stringent regulations requiring extraction companies to monitor environmental impacts, take comments from the public or disclose chemicals used before fracturing are only required for operations that use more than 200,000 gallons of water.