Dear John,

Oil and gas producers have been wasting nearly $275 million-worth of natural gas on public and tribal lands across the U.S. — costing taxpayers and tribes tens of millions of dollars each year while damaging our air, health and climate in the process. 

Flaring, or the burning of extra natural gas at oil wells, is a common and wasteful step in the drilling process — one that also releases billions of cubic feet of methane pollution into the atmosphere. Curbing waste at this critical juncture could help safeguard our natural resources and lessen the burden on our atmosphere. Here’s how you can help.

Under a new rule proposed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), oil and gas companies would have to conduct better planning to reduce venting and flaring and the BLM would charge royalties on gas that companies report to have vented and flared.

It’s a step in the right direction, but preventing venting and flaring all together – not just charging royalties – is better. Send a powerful message and urge the Bureau of Land Management to take the next step by setting clear requirements to eliminate waste caused by venting and flaring.

Submit a public comment urging BLM to take the next step and set clear requirements to eliminate waste before your window closes today!

BLM’s proposal is an important first step towards slashing methane waste from venting and flaring — tackling an issue that environmentalists and operators can agree on. By setting stronger standards we can incentivize operators to capture, use or sell associated gas, helping the U.S. conserve domestic energy resources and ensure taxpayers benefit from the development of publicly-owned minerals. 

This is our opportunity to set strong standards that stop waste at the source, helping us protect our natural resources to the benefit of the health of our air and our climate’s future. That’s why we applaud Secretary Haaland and the Biden Administration for taking an important first step to combat methane waste from oil and gas production on public lands. But to make the most of this opportunity we need them to go further.

It’s time for oil and gas producers to tighten up their operations. Fight back against methane waste by urging the Bureau of Land Management to set clear requirements to eliminate waste caused by venting and flaring.

Let’s fight for a more sustainable future,

Wes Rogerson
Manager, Grassroots Organizing & Activism