Texas joins other states to officially oppose methane rulings by the Bureau of Land Management.
Related: Wyoming & Montana Oppose BLM Ruling
Last week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton petitioned the court to intervene in the "Methane Waste Prevention Rule,” one of the last acts of the Obama administration. The ruling set tighter restrictions on flared, vented and leaked methane gas produced from oil and natural gas extraction.
“This is yet another case of gross federal overreach in which the Bureau of Land Management exceeded its legal authority, bypassing Congress to implement an unlawful rule on methane gas. The regulation has negligible environmental benefit and adds additional cost to both Texas and the oil and gas industry by creating more red tape.”
Paxton argues in the petition that the rulings duplicate law that is already on the Texas books and would cause undue delays and confusion.
The petition was granted by U.S. Magistrate Judge Kelly H. Rankin.
Other Texas officials have weighed in on the overreach of federal regulations into Texas. Last year, Railroad Commission Chairman David Porter and Commissioners Christi Craddick and Ryan Sitton wrote a letter to the EPA, warning against further federal overreach of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rules on methane emissions for oil and gas operators. The letter highlighted the unnecessary cost to oil and gas operators that would likely stifle innovation and jobs in the industry.