U.S. Senate Fails to Move Forward to Repeal BLM Rule on Methane Emissions

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U.S. Senate Fails to Move Forward to Repeal BLM Rule on Methane Emissions

Houston (10 May 2017) – Today, the U.S. Senate voted against a procedural measure to use the Congressional Review Act to repeal the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) methane emissions rule, “Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties and Resource Conservation”. In response, IADC President Jason McFarland issued the following statement:

“IADC is disappointed with today’s Senate vote regarding BLM’s duplicative and costly methane emissions rule. Since the rule was first introduced in 2016, IADC, along with our industry partners, has argued that the regulation would have the unintended impact of fewer jobs, higher costs for consumers and less energy security and federal revenue. The truth of course is that natural gas is valuable and energy companies always prefer to capture it rather than flare it off. To further prove this belief, since 2005, emissions have declined by 38%, even as production has boomed, according to the Western Energy Alliance. This speaks to the commitment by industry to adhere to environmentally sound operations, even without excessive regulatory oversight. Today’s vote is disappointing, but industry looks now to Interior Secretary Zinke and his team to undue the duplicative and harmful aspects of this rule.”

About IADC

Since 1940, the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) has exclusively represented the worldwide oil and gas drilling industry. IADC’s mission is to catalyze improved performance for the drilling industry by enhancing operational integrity and championing better regulation to facilitate safer, cleaner and more efficient drilling operations worldwide. For more information, visit the IADC website at www.iadc.org.