In a parting shot from the Obama administration, the Interior Department overstepped its bounds and issued new regulations on the natural gas industry.
In a parting shot to the Interior Department, Denver’s Western Energy Alliance and Independent Petroleum Association of America are suing them to block the rule.
The government claims the rule will prevent waste of this precious fuel, because they think private industry makes a living by watching their profits blown away in the wind.
The natural gas industry says thanks, but no thanks, they’ve got it under control.
The oil industry has argued that new regulations are not needed for methane because the industry already has a financial incentive to capture and sell natural gas. Methane emissions have been reduced by 21 percent since 1990 even as production has boomed, according to the Western Energy Alliance.
The Western Energy Alliance further argues that government has once again over-stepped its bounds because it did so without congressional approval.
We expect that the Obama administration will push as many government regulations down our throats as they can before fleeing Washington. However, we are now hopeful that this regulation will be overturned by the new Trump administration before it makes its way through the judicial system.