UPDATED 18:53 PM EST, January 18, 2013
The draft is to be issued in the first quarter of this year for public comment, after review by the Office of Management Budget starting as soon as next week.
"Once comments on the updated draft have been collected and analyzed, the BLM expects to issue a final rule that will ensure that operators apply proven cost-effective safety and environmental protection processes when engaging in hydraulic fracturing on our public lands," he said.
