DENVER (AP) -- Colorado congresswoman Diana DeGette is moving ahead with her bill to put a widely used oil and gas drilling process under federal oversight, but is also seeking a study to gather more data on the practice.
The Democrat from Denver is sponsoring a bill that would repeal a ban on regulating hydraulic fracturing under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
The process, also called "fracking," involves injecting liquids, sand and chemicals underground to force open channels in tight sand and rock formations so oil and gas will flow. The industry is lobbying against federal regulation and says claims of threats to groundwater are unsubstantiated.
DeGette's spokesman Kristofer Eisenla says the request for a study on fracking doesn't mean she's backing off the legislation.
She's also trying to schedule a hearing on the proposal.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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