Idahoans unhappy with a bill allocating control over natural gas drilling and exploration compared its approach to unpopular federal mandates like health insurance and the Endangered Species Act.

Despite concerns over the loss of local control, the House Resources and Conservation Committee approved the bill 16-0 Thursday.

Still, concerns raised by Washington and Payette county residents over the lack of opportunities for the public to shape and steer drilling, exploration and production of natural gas prompted an industry attorney to commit to make changes to the legislation.

The hearing came as lawmakers look at how to regulate natural gas, which was discovered in seven of 11 wells drilled in Payette County in 2010.

Read more: Idaho House Panel OKs Giving State Oversight of Gas Industry

(By Rocky Barker, Idaho Statesman)

Following a full afternoon of testimony, the House Resources and Conservation Committee passed a package of gas exploration legislation Thursday afternoon, including a dilution of local controls. The vote was unanimous.

Suzanne Budge, executive director of the Idaho Petroleum Council, referred lawmakers to today’s Idaho Statesman, which featured a re-print of a Wall Street Journal report, offering a positive spin to the oil and gas industry.

“This is a very exciting development,” said Budge, referring to Idaho’s burgeoning gas exploration industry, which has its eyes on Payette and Washington county farmlands.

But Budge made no mention of Boise Weekly’s current February 8, 2011, report, Idaho’s Gasland Rules Debated, on February 8, 2011, which includes concerns from Washington County residents about one of the Petroleum Council’s measures that would give primacy on well permits to the state, stripping authority from county or local governments.

Read more: House Committee Passes Bill Stripping Local Authority on Gas Drilling

(By George Prentice, Boise Weekly)

As some of you are aware, the industry has created legislation to limit the ability of local governments to regulate oil and gas (HO464).  While there are aspects of this that make sense (i.e. the county has neither the expertise or resources to regulate well casing, mechanical integrity testing, etc.), this legislation goes much further.

Local governments would not have the ability to require the gas industry to follow the traditional special use permitting process (a process that has been in place for over 35 years that involves an applicant going before a planning and zoning commission and participating in a public hearing).  Instead, the gas industry would now be subject to an administrative permitting process for all aspects of oil and gas prior to ‘processing.’  So, in essence, this would include siting of well pads and pits, setbacks, etc.  The Idaho Association of Counties claims that this would essentially involve the planning and zoning manager going through a predetermined checklist of conditions (conditions set in the ordinance).  Currently, when an application is brought forward in this process, the planning and zoning commission has the authority to create site-specific conditions.  Under this potential new legislation, all conditions would be pre-determined.  So, the county would have to envision every possible site for a well pad or pit or road use, etc. and write all of these scenarios with their likely conditions into an ordinance.   The county’s ordinance must contain “reasonable” provisions that are not “repugnant to law.”  According to the IAC, it would be up to the courts to define as reasonable. Continue reading →

A group representing Idaho counties and a group representing companies interested in tapping natural gas in the state announced an agreement on Sunday on legislation they plan to introduce into the Idaho Legislature next month, the Associated Press reports. The Idaho Association of Counties and the Idaho Petroleum Council said the guidelines will allow counties some control over natural gas development, while natural gas wildcatters will have a clearer path to tapping fields; but a conservation group said the agreement appears to reduce local control over industries by allowing state lawmakers to create rules that counties and cities wouldn’t be able to exceed with their own ordinances. Click Gas Drillers, Idaho Counties Reach Agreement for the full story from Associated Press reporter Keith Ridler.

(By Betsy Russell, Eye on Boise, The Spokesman-Review)

The natural gas industry claims that Idaho has unique geology that won't need intense fracking and describes its proposed drilling as similar to domestic water well drilling (Idaho Petroleum Council diagram).

BOISE, Idaho — When the Idaho Legislature meets in 2012, it will be asked to approve new regulations for the natural gas industry. Bridge Resources and now Snake River Oil and Gas believe there is a significant amount of natural gas in Idaho.

The natural gas industry in Idaho renewed efforts this month to gain support for drilling. It hopes to start drilling soon, once the state approves regulations and local governments give the go-ahead.

Read more and view a video of Governor Butch Otter, president of the Idaho Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, responsible for recent administrative approval of the new Rules Governing Conservation of Crude Oil and Natural Gas in the State of Idaho:

Natural Gas Industry Seeks Local Support in Idaho

(By Boise State Public Radio/Idaho Public Television)

For the first time, a government study has tied contamination in drinking water to an advanced drilling technique commonly known as “fracking.”

The Environmental Protection Agency released a draft study Thursday tying the technique, formally called hydraulic fracturing, to high levels of chemicals found in ground water in the small town of Pavillion, Wyoming.  EPA scientists found high levels of benzene, a known carcinogen, and synthetic glycol and alcohol, commonly found in hydraulic fracturing fluid.

Read/listen to more: EPA Connects ‘Fracking’ to Water Contamination

(By Elizabeth Shogren, National Public Radio)