STATEMENT of Patrick Von Bargen, Executive Director of the CENTER FOR METHANE EMISSIONS SOLUTIONS (CMES) Re: Proposed BLM Methane Waste Rule Revision

We are disappointed that the BLM has proposed a major revision to their Methane Waste Prevention Rule. The BLM’s rule was based largely on Colorado’s successful record of mitigating methane through its own Regulation 7, which helped create new high-paying, blue-collar jobs in the oil and gas industry.  The Colorado oil and gas industry has thrived under stricter regulation for years now, demonstrating that radical revisions of the BLM methane rule are unwarranted.  CMES calls on the BLM to avoid significant revisions to the Methane Waste Rule because the existing rule is cost-effective, good for the oil and gas industry, and will create jobs.

The Center for Methane Emissions Solutions is the voice of the methane mitigation industry in the United States.  The methane mitigation industry is a robust and growing American industry, which works closely with oil and gas industry to address methane waste in a cost-efficient manner.