11.29.22

Hoeven Statement on Burdensome & Duplicative BLM Methane Rule

Senator Pushing Back on Biden Administration’s Efforts to Restrict Oil & Gas Development on Federal Lands

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven issued the following statement after the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a proposed rule to impose burdensome and duplicative methane emission regulations on energy producers.  

“Under this proposed rule, the Biden administration is creating another roadblock to energy development on federal lands, further undermining our nation’s energy security. On top of that, by holding up the infrastructure needed to get energy to market, like gas-gathering lines and pipelines, this burdensome approach to regulation is causing more flaring and methane waste, not less,” said Hoeven. “Americans are already facing record-high inflation and significantly increased home heating costs this winter. This rule will make matters worse by making energy production more expensive. That means even higher prices for families and businesses, and it’s the wrong approach for our nation.” 

Hoeven has been working to empower greater U.S. domestic energy production to help bring down inflation, lower prices for consumers and businesses and strengthen the nation’s energy security. To this end, the senator is advancing regulatory relief for critically-needed energy infrastructure, including pipelines and transmission lines. His efforts include: 

  • Pressing Richard Glick, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), in a recent meeting to take the handcuffs off energy producers and expedite the approval process for energy infrastructure to get energy to market.
  • Sponsoring the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Mineral Spacing Act to remove the BLM permitting requirement in instances when the federal government owns less than half of the subsurface minerals within a drilling spacing unit and has no surface ownership in the impacted area. 
    • Doing so would eliminate duplicative regulations, better respect the rights of private mineral holders and empower greater domestic oil and natural gas production.
  • Helping introduce legislation to comprehensively reform federal permitting and project reviews by codifying Trump-era policies like: 
    • Modernizing and streamlining the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review and permitting process.
    • The Navigable Waters Protection Rule’s definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act, ensuring private property rights are protected.
    • Rules to prevent states from unreasonably blocking energy projects and those designed to streamline permitting for critical energy projects. 

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