Obama Administration Sued Over Gulf Of Mexico Fracking Info

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — An environmental advocacy group is suing the Obama administration in federal court for refusing to release documents detailing the extent of fracking in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Center for Biological Diversity filed the lawsuit Thursday in U.S District Court in Washington, saying the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has refused to comply with the group's federal public records request.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a process of injecting chemicals into rock formations to free oil or natural gas trapped inside.

Used widely on land, fracking also is employed at offshore wells to explore for new deposits and to stimulate old, dead wells to new production.

The BOEM public affairs office would not comment on the lawsuit.