California AG and New Mexico AG Filed Lawsuit against BLM Challenging Unlawful Delay of Methane Waste Prevention Rule

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for seeking to delay implementation of the Methane Waste Prevention Rule, which “provides a much-needed update of 38-year-old regulations governing the release of natural gas from new and existing oil and gas operations on federal and Indian lands, and clarifies when gas lost through venting, flaring, or leaks is subject to royalties.” The AGs emphasize that BLM itself estimated the rule “would have substantial annual benefits, including producing up to 41 billion cubic feet of additional natural gas, eliminating 175,000-180,000 tons of methane emissions, cutting emissions of hazardous air pollutants by 250,000-267,000 tons, and generating up to $14 million in additional royalties.”