US BLM Considers Temporary Suspension Of Methane Venting And Flaring Rule -- October 4, 2017

From Oil & Gas Journal via Twitter:

The US Bureau of Land Management proposed a temporary suspension or delay of certain requirements in its 2016 oil and gas methane venting and flaring rule until Jan. 27, 2019. Comments on the proposal, which is scheduled to appear in the Oct. 5 Federal Register, will be accepted through Nov. 7.

Officially known as the Methane Waste and Prevention Rule, the Independent Petroleum Association of America and Western Energy Alliance—along with the states of Wyoming, North Dakota, and Montana—legally challenged it in federal court soon after the rule became final on Nov. 18, 2016. The case now is pending in US District Court for Wyoming.

The plaintiffs essentially argued that BLM exceeded its authority by imposing regulation of airborne emissions that falls under the US Environmental Protection Agency’s purview. BLM contended that its authority includes controlling and regulating the waste of federal resources, which it said was the rule’s purpose.