Judge merges 2 suits contesting new federal drilling rules

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A federal judge has granted a request to merge two lawsuits that oppose upcoming new rules for oil and gas drilling on federal lands, among which is a requirement that petroleum developers disclose information about the chemical products they use during hydraulic fracturing.

Wyoming U.S. District Judge Scott Skavdahl on Thursday granted a consolidation request filed by both sides in a lawsuit filed by the Independent Petroleum Association of America and Western Energy Alliance against the Interior Department, U.S. Bureau of Land Management and their directors.

That lawsuit now is the lead case in the consolidated lawsuits. The other…