WASHINGTON (February 3, 2017) – The American Chemistry Council (ACC) today applauded House passage of a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act of a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rule to regulate methane venting and flaring from oil and gas operations on public lands.
“We applaud House members for rejecting the BLM methane rule, which duplicates efforts underway in several states to reduce methane emissions and wasted natural gas at production sites. Working together, industry and states such as Colorado, Wyoming and North Dakota are making progress, and could do even more if expeditiously granted permits to build infrastructure that would capture the natural gas and deliver it to market.
“Natural gas production on federal lands is in a downward spiral, falling 35 percent between 2009 and 2014, even as output on state and private lands rose 43 percent. The government should take steps to reverse this trend and boost natural gas production on BLM lands. The chemistry industry is using new natural gas resources to expand and invest in the U.S., but federal lands aren’t doing their part. We urge swift consideration of the resolution by the Senate.”