Eighty congressional Democrats and US Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.) petitioned US Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke to implement and begin to enforce the US Bureau of Land Management’s 2016 methane venting and flaring rule. Their Nov. 3 letter came nearly a month after the agency proposed suspending or delay certain requirements under the regulation while it considers revising or repealing the rule (OGJ Online, Oct. 4, 2017).
“Given the paucity of information provided by BLM in its Federal Register notice, and the great deal of public interest in this rule, we respectfully request the public comment period be extended an additional 60 days, to a total of 90 days, and that public hearings be added especially in the Western US to ensure adequate opportunity for public involvement,” the federal lawmakers said.
Facts do not support Interior’s rationale for considering a revision or repeal of the rule, the group argued. “There is no credible evidence that the rule will cause marginal wells [to be shut in], will drive industry away from federal or tribal lands, or will result in job loss,” the letter said.
Colorado enacted similar methane control requirements in 2014 and has not experienced any of these negative consequences, the letter said. “Since the BLM rule went into effect on Jan. 17, 2017, there has been no evidence of any significant negative impacts on economic activity in the oil and gas sector,” the letter said.
The Independent Petroleum Association of America and the Denver-based Western Energy Alliance jointly sued to overturn BLM’s venting and flaring rule soon after it became final in November 2016. They argued that BLM exceeded its authority because the requirements try to limit airborne emissions, which are the US Environmental Protection Agency’s responsibility. BLM responded at the time that the requirements were justified because it was trying to limit the waste of a federally managed public resource.
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