Interior Issues Royalty-Based Plan Limiting ‘Waste’ Oil & Gas Methane

The Interior Department is floating a long-awaited proposed rule to limit “waste” methane emissions from oil and gas operations on federal lands, though environmental groups are criticizing the plan for relying on royalties for “excessive” vented and flared natural gas rather than more aggressive flaring restrictions. “This proposed rule will bring our regulations in line with technological advances that industry has made in the decades since the [Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM)] rules were first put in place, while providing...