Court Blocks Obama on Energy

Judge Scott Skavdahl of the District Court of Wyoming has sided with Congress in a ruling that reinforces to the Obama Administration that the Department of the Interior is expressly forbidden from regulating hydraulic fracturing on federal lands.

"Congress has not delegated to the Department of Interior the authority to regulate hydraulic fracturing," Skavdahl wrote in his opinion published late Tuesday. "The Bureau of Land Management's effort to do so through the Fracking Rule is in excess of its statutory authority and contrary to law."

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"As a senior energy policy leader in Congress, I have been working for years to advance the cause of American energy independence. I've used my Chairmanship of the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee to hold numerous hearings emphasizing the safety of American energy production, pointing out the flaws in the Obama Administration's energy policies, and shining a light on the full extent of the negative impacts of their severe regulatory overreach.

Today, myself and millions of Americans felt vindication when President Obama's war on hydrocarbons was dealt a severe blow by a judge he appointed. A District Court judge in Wyoming was forced to emphasize to the President what any grade school civics student should know, only Congress makes laws. An Executive Branch Department, in this case Interior, cannot regulate hydraulic fracturing on federal lands.

This development is especially good news for those of us interested in American energy independence here in Colorado. It was announced earlier this month that the Mancos Shale on Colorado's Western Slope is home to over 6 trillion cubic feet of recoverable shale natural gas—the second largest resource in America. Colorado and the nation should remain free to harness these natural resources without fear of retaliation by the Administration."  

- Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-05)