FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 18, 2018
2016 rule placed limits on venting, flaring, and leaking of natural gas from oil drilling operations on public lands
DENVER—The Trump administration announced today that it has eviscerated a 2016 rule established by the Bureau of Land Management that limits the waste of natural gas from oil and gas drilling on public lands. In response, the Center for Western Priorities issued the following statement from Advocacy Director Jesse Prentice-Dunn:
“Today marks another loss for Western communities at the hands of President Trump, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, and their oil industry donors. Because of this decision, oil and gas drillers can continue releasing methane into the air without accountability at the expense of taxpayers and clean air.
“Westerners should be fired up that this administration cares more about padding the wallets of oil executives than it does about safeguarding natural resources owned by all Americans.”
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According to new polling from the Center for Western Priorities, Westerners support safeguards placed on oil and gas drilling, including limits on methane waste. The survey found that 89 percent of voters in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, and New Mexico support requiring oil and gas companies operating on public lands to detect and repair natural gas leaks in drilling equipment.
According to a sentiment analysis of public comments conducted by the Center for Western Priorities, 99.8 percent of Americans who submitted comments opposing today’s decision. When the Trump administration asked the public to comment on its plan to eliminate the methane waste rule, over 600,000 Americans spoke out opposing the Trump administration’s plans and supporting the safeguards placed on industry in 2016.