Interior Department Moves to Set Urgently Needed Limits on Gas Pollution, Methane Waste

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today proposed new rules to minimize natural gas waste and emissions on federal and tribal lands.

“BLM is taking an important step to ensure the responsible development of our nation’s natural resources,” said Fred Krupp, President of Environmental Defense Fund. “In 2013 oil and gas companies on public and tribal lands wasted more than $330 million worth of gas through leaking, venting and flaring practices that allow billions of cubic feet of methane—both a climate pollutant and valuable energy resource—to escape into the atmosphere.”

Overall, oil and gas production on federal and tribal lands accounts for 15 percent of total U.S. methane emissions from the production sector. According to a recent analysis by ICF International, operators on these lands waste approximately 109 billion cubic feet of gas each year, enough to heat about 1.5 million American households.

The new proposed rules are an essential part of how the U.S. will meet its national target of reducing oil and gas methane emissions by 40 to 45 percent over the next decade. They build on other state and national efforts to reduce oil and gas emissions by addressing methane pollution at new and existing oil and gas facilities.

“We will continue to work with BLM to secure the strongest, most protective final rule possible, said Dan Grossman, National Director of State Programs with EDF’s oil and gas program. “Effective rules will provide critical protection for both our air and climate and the interests of the nation’s taxpayers.”