Input Stories

On Wednesday, the Biden administration issued a final rule aimed at reducing methane emissions from drilling operations on public lands, according to POLITICO’s E&E News.

What’s going on: “The Bureau of Land Management’s rule will make oil companies pay royalties on ‘wasted’ natural gas. That is the methane that operators either vent into the air or burn off rather than capture in a pipeline and sell.”

• The rule—which comes just three months after a final rule on methane emissions from the Environmental Protection Agency—requires that drillers either commit to capturing 100% of the gas they produce or come up with plans to minimize non-emergency venting (the direct release of natural gas) and flaring (the burning of excess natural gas at the production well).
• It also mandates that operators submit plans to track and repair gas leaks in pipelines and other infrastructure. If found to be in noncompliance on this score, operators can be denied drilling permits by the BLM.

Manufacturers pave the way: In recent decades, manufacturers have been instrumental in bringing to market the innovative methane-capture and pipeline-repair technology that will be called on in the new rule’s implementation.

• And as the NAM said in 2021, shortly after the EPA announced its intention to regulate methane emissions: “We support technology-based standards that reward early and aggressive action, while providing the flexibility to promote innovation and ensure we get the most reductions at the lowest cost. That would be a real win–win.”