WASHINGTON (May 10, 2017) – The American Chemistry Council (ACC) issued the following statement in response to today’s Senate vote regarding a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rule to regulate methane venting and flaring from oil and gas operations on public lands. The vote was on a motion to proceed to consideration of a resolution of disapproval of the rule under the Congressional Review Act.
“We are disappointed that the Senate fell short of the votes needed to repeal BLM’s methane rule. We commend Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) for his leadership on a resolution that could have helped ensure abundant and affordable energy for households and businesses. Nevertheless, we are confident in the Department of the Interior’s plans to suspend, revise or rescind the rule. As an industry that has invested $180 billion in plants and personnel linked to natural gas, we are concerned that these regulations could jeopardize U.S. manufacturing growth.
“BLM’s rule duplicates efforts underway in several states to reduce methane emissions and wasted natural gas at production sites. Working together, industry and states such as Colorado, Wyoming and North Dakota are making progress, and could do even more if expeditiously granted permits to build infrastructure that would capture the natural gas and deliver it to market.”