BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota’s top oil regulator says the recently issued federal rule on hydraulic fracturing is bringing ”some certainty’ to the oil industry.

Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms says the ”long-awaited rule’ provides certainty during an unstable time for the industry but also raises ”concerns of necessity and duplicity.’

The Obama administration is requiring companies that drill for oil and natural gas on federal lands to disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations.

A final rule released Friday also updates requirements for well construction and disposal of water and other fluids used in fracking, a drilling method that has prompted an ongoing boom in natural gas production.

The rule, which takes effect in June, has been under consideration for more than three years.

Helms says his office will review the regulation to fully understand its impact.

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