This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah's members of Congress oppose new federal rules requiring the disclosure of chemicals used by oil and gas companies that use hydraulic fracturing on public and tribal lands.
The state's two senators and three House members allege the "fracking" rules are a burdensome step in a process that is already handled well by the states.
"Utahns are fully capable of managing ourselves," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. "We don't need to be watched over by bureaucrats in Washington."
Rep. Jim Matheson, the lone Democrat in the state's delegation, represents much of Utah's prime energy-producing lands and echoed that sentiment.
"States already have the tools necessary to regulate hydraulic fracturing and they have effectively used those tools for decades," Matheson said. "This decision to move forward adds an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy to a regulatory process that already works."
Matt Canham