Udall Statement on BLM Proposal to Suspend or Delay Waste Prevention Rule

Washington, D.C. - October 6, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Senator Tom Udall responded to the announcement by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that it is proposing to suspend or delay some requirements of the BLM’s 2016 natural gas waste prevention rule. Leaking, venting and flaring from natural gas operations wastes $100 million in taxpayer-owned natural gas resources a year, and NASA scientists say it has created a methane hotspot the size of Delaware over the Four Corners region. Udall led the successful fight in the Senate to protect the rule from Republicans’ attempt to roll it back using the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

“The BLM’s proposal to roll back the natural gas waste prevention rule would hurt taxpayers, school children, New Mexico’s economy, and our environment. This rule takes common-sense and cost-effective steps to limit the waste of taxpayer-owned natural gas, providing badly needed revenue to cash-strapped states like New Mexico for public education and other essential services. Prior to this rule, $100 million in taxpayer-owned natural gas was wasted each year from oil and gas wells operating on public lands in New Mexico. The new standard also creates jobs in a new and growing field of methane capture technology. And, the rule is helping to reduce dangerous pollution across the West and in New Mexico, where a methane cloud the size of Delaware is hanging over the Four Corners region. This rule is simply good policy – good for taxpayers, good for the economy, and good for the environment.

“The arguments against this rule from the current administration do not hold water. Since the rule came into effect in November 2016, employment data shows no evidence of any jobs lost, and the number of drilling rigs in operation has increased significantly. Everyone should agree that preventing the waste of taxpayer-owned resources should not only be a goal – it’s our obligation. That’s why senators from both parties came together to save this common-sense rule in May.

“The BLM’s process includes the opportunity for public comment, and the administration is required by law to take those into account and act in a deliberate and transparent way. I encourage every New Mexican and every American to speak out forcefully to defend this rule – and to defend their tax dollars, new jobs, and the air they breathe.”