Oklahoma’s congressional delegation is urging EPA Administrator Michael Regan to give more time for public comment on the agency’s proposed regulation of methane emissions from oil and gas operations.
“The proposed rule would unquestionably have a significant and wide-ranging impact on oil and gas businesses, most of whom are small businesses, who employ thousands of Oklahomans directly as well as indirectly,” wrote the delegation in a letter to Regan.
The letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe and James Lankford and Reps. Kevin Hern, Markwayne Mullin, Frank Lucas, Tom Cole and Stephanie Bice. They asked Regan to extend the public comment period by 60 days.
“The delegation wrote: “Oklahoma’s oil and natural gas industry is vital to our economy, as it supports an estimated nearly 400,000 high-paying jobs across the state and generates billions of dollars in economic growth and tax revenue for the state and federal government.”
The Senators and Representatives told Regan the current public comment period deadline of January 14, 2022 is “insufficient in providing our constituents impacted by this sweeping regulatory proposal with enough time to thoroughly review and issue better informed comments.”
They contend the complexity of EPA’s proposal coupled with the upcoming holiday season provide more than enough justification for the 60-day extension of the comment period to March 15, 2022.
“The proposed rule would unquestionably have a significant and wide-ranging impact on oil and gas businesses, most of whom are small businesses, who employ thousands of Oklahomans directly as well as indirectly. Also, at a time when Americans are paying more for energy to heat their homes and power their cars and trucks, it would be a mistake to move forward with this proposal, let alone a proposal that is not fully understood and would lead to further increased costs to consumers across the nation,” explained the delegation.
The EPA announced Nov. 2 its sweeping methane regulatory proposal, one that drew immediate criticism from some members of the Oklahoma congressional delegation.
The full text of the letter can be found here.
