Eight AGs Sent Comments Backing Interior Department’s Waste Prevention Rule

JANUARY 30, 2023

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez led eight attorneys general in comments on the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) proposed updates to the Waste Prevention Rule, which is intended to reduce waste during oil and gas production by curbing the venting and flaring of unwanted methane. The rule, which governs natural gas waste and royalty payments for mineral leases administered by BLM, had been weakened under the Trump administration. The AGs’ comments called BLM’s current proposal a “commonsense and much-needed update,” explained why the proposal was legally sound, and highlighted its financial and environmental benefits: a $39 million per year increase in royalty revenues that go towards important state purposes, as well as $427 million per year in avoided climate damages.