It’s time to stop the waste that comes from venting and flaring natural gas on public lands. Western stakeholders are calling for it; western budgets need it; and some oil and gas companies are already doing it themselves. The Bureau of Land Management is poised to set limits on the amount of taxpayer-owned natural gas that can be vented and flared — wasted — on our American public lands.
But in the face of all these green lights, some groups are still needlessly stepping on the brakes — especially the lobbying group Western Energy Alliance. WEA is going so far as to claim they’re doing it “for the kids.” Kathleen Sgamma, WEA’s Vice President of Government and Public Affairs, recently misconstrued the facts with this over-the-top rhetoric:
“These ideological regulatory wars on fossil fuels are really an attack on Americans’ health, safety, and prosperity. The collateral damage will be to all Americans, particularly the poor and others struggling to feed their families, clothe their kids, and heat their homes. When regulation makes energy less reliable and more expensive, the costs are born by all.”
An overwhelming bipartisan majority of western voters say it’s time to support the BLM in setting a rule to limit venting and flaring. Capturing natural gas is like capturing money: it’s a valuable resource that can then be sold on the market, generating a profit for companies and royalties for taxpayers.
That win-win situation alone means it’s probably time for the lobbyists at WEA to pay attention. WEA’s more responsible members need to speak up and tell the rest of their industry — taking action on natural gas waste is good for business.
