Court Blocks Biden-Harris Methane Emissions Regulations in Five States – Watts Up With That?

From THE DAILY CALLER

Mariane Angela
News reporter

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily halted enforcement of a Biden-Harris administration rule in five states designed to reduce methane emissions and minimize natural gas waste on federal land.

U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Traynor has issued a temporary injunction blocking the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from enforcing a new order rules conducted in April in North Dakota, Montana, Texas, Wyoming and Utah, according to to The Hill. These states argue that federal regulations, which oil and gas Companies that implement waste reduction plans and leak detection programs on public lands are exceeding federal authority and infringing on state rights.

The controversial rule requires operators to limit the release, flaring and leakage of natural gas during oil production, the news agency reported. The Biden-Harris administration has implemented part on the climate agenda to reduce certain emissions, such as methane, the main component of natural gas.

Traynor stated in his decision that the states were likely to prevail because “given the nature of their claims, the 2024 Rule is arbitrary and capricious,” and pointed out that many aspects of the rule were “incompletely interpreted” and “contradictory,” according to the North Dakota Monitor. reportedThe rule affects federal and tribal territories, and the Fort Berthold Reservation is home to much of the oil and gas extraction on tribal land in North Dakota.

BLM, which is part of the Department of the Interior, argued that flaring and venting natural gas wastes public and Native American resources, significantly cuts into royalty revenue for taxpayers, tribes and states, and exacerbates climate change, the North Dakota Monitor reported. But Judge Traynor said BLM does not have the authority to regulate air quality, a power reserved for the Environmental Protection Agency and states under the Clean Air Act.

North Dakota has opposed the rule, claiming it infringes on state sovereignty and would reduce state revenue from oil and gas production, while the BLM estimates the rule could generate more than $50 million in tax revenue, the North Dakota Monitor reported. Traynor further questioned the economic benefits of the rule, saying the rule “provides no plausible reason why flaring is more economically efficient than venting.” (RELATED: Biden administration moves to ban new oil leasing on 1.6 million acres of land)

The North Dakota Petroleum Council celebrated the decision as a victory for the oil and gas industry, citing that the rule would impose strict flaring limits and costly compliance requirements that would be especially burdensome for smaller operators, the North Dakota Monitor reported. reactNorth Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum welcomed the court’s temporary injunction, accusing the Biden administration of abusing regulations on oil and gas production on federal land.

The White House, Burgum and the North Dakota Petroleum Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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