States push ahead with challenge of Obama-era rule on gas flaring

 

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon is pleased that a federal court in Wyoming reached a decision Tuesday that “will allow Wyoming and three other energy producing states to restart legal challenges to an overreaching Obama-era rule,” according to the governor’s office.

Gordon’s office says the Wyoming federal district court’s decision comes after a ruling by a federal district court in California which “set aside the Bureau of Land Management’s current rule governing venting and flaring of natural gas on public lands and will reimpose the Obama-era rule in 90 days.”

Gordon argued against the California federal district court’s ruling in the Wednesday, July 22 release.

“In a thorough, but thoroughly incorrect ruling, the judge rejected the Trump Administration’s commonsense approach to the management of waste gas,” Gordon said. “The Trump Administration recognized and respected Wyoming’s longstanding and effective regulations, while the Obama Administration sought to impose a one-size-fits-all mandate that imposes tremendous costs on oil and gas producers to save small amounts of natural gas.”

The federal court’s Tuesday decision in Wyoming will allow Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota and Texas to “proceed with their challenge to the Obama rule before it goes into effect and causes substantial harm,” the release states.

These states had been in the process of challenging the Obama-era gas flaring rule in federal court in Wyoming before the Trump Administration replaced that rule.

“Those proceedings were paused when the Trump Administration replaced the Obama-era rule,” Gordon said.

Tuesday’s decision in the Wyoming federal district court lifts that stay, allowing the states to resume their challenge to the Obama era rule.

“Wyoming will be reviewing its options to appeal the California decision, but in the meantime we will do all we can to avoid the harm that the Obama-era rule will cause in this particularly difficult time for Wyoming’s energy industry,” Gordon said.

Source: Oil City News