{"id":13656,"date":"2016-08-01T09:03:09","date_gmt":"2016-08-01T14:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=13656"},"modified":"2017-01-24T11:31:19","modified_gmt":"2017-01-24T17:31:19","slug":"face-the-facts-blm-methane-rules-needed-have-wide-bipartisan-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2016\/08\/01\/face-the-facts-blm-methane-rules-needed-have-wide-bipartisan-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Face the Facts: BLM Methane Rules Needed, Have Wide Bipartisan Support"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"It\u2019s unfortunate that a partisan group of Congressional representatives recently tried to turn back the clock<\/a> on new rules from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management that can protect taxpayers and local communities from the needless waste of our natural gas resources and methane pollution.<\/p>\n

It was a disappointing move, considering that a bipartisan group of elected officials came together to defend the BLM\u2019s natural gas waste rule during a budget fight on the House floor in July.<\/p>\n

Some members of Congress are really good at expressing their opinions.\u00a0 However, in this case the facts clearly show that efforts to cut waste and protect our air are necessary and warranted.<\/p>\n

Fact:<\/strong> Despite some creative data cherry-picking to spin a different story, the data is clear that methane emissions from oil and gas operations have grown significantly in the past decade<\/strong> (up 8% since 2005).<\/p>\n

Methane waste is a big problem. The business consulting firm ICF has estimated that $330 million per year<\/a> in federal and tribal natural gas resources are wasted due to venting, flaring and leaks at well sites.<\/p>\n

And this means taxpayers are also losing out on tens of millions of dollars in annual tax and royalty payments that could be funding better roads, schools, and other needed infrastructure in impacted communities. This is a problem only getting worse and not solving itself. It is going to take tough but fair regulations \u2013 not inconsistent voluntary efforts from industry \u2013 to solve it.<\/p>\n

Fact: Nonpartisan observers agree this problem needs attention.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A new report<\/a> from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that BLM should do more to protect taxpayers from unnecessary waste of their natural gas resources. The GAO finds that BLM needs more consistent policies in place to better limit methane waste and pollution from oil and gas production on the hundreds of thousands of acres of federal and tribal lands it oversees \u2013 the sort of requirements the BLM is in the process of finalizing.<\/p>\n

Fact:<\/strong> Support is strong<\/a> for BLM action to cut methane waste and pollution across the West<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n