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Environmental Groups Disappointed With Flaring Regs

Willow Belden

The Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is proposing changes to its rules for burning or “flaring” natural gas. 

Natural gas is a byproduct of drilling for oil, but when there aren't nearby pipelines or processing facilities to take the gas, companies often burn it for a period of time.

Environmental groups say flaring wastes a valuable, non-renewable resource and creates air quality problems for nearby residents.

The proposed rule change doesn’t cut back on the amount of gas companies can flare, but companies that want to flare past the initial 15-day grace period would have to submit a plan for how they are going to eventually get the gas into a pipeline. 

"I'm glad that we actually have it in writing,” said John Robitaille, VP of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming, adding that the Oil and Gas Commission has made it clear recently that companies need to have a gas capture plan.

Companies would also have to file reports more frequently about how much they’ve burned.

Jill Morrison, with the Powder River Basin Resource Council, says the changes don’t go far enough, adding that if the state is going to allow flaring, it shouldn’t be free.

“The state is facing some tough financial times and we need to be able to recoup those taxes and royalties on gas," she said. "Maybe we should be taxing gas that’s flared.”

Previous proposals to tax flared gas have failed in the Legislature.

Once the Governor has signed off on the rule changes, they’ll be open to a 45 day comment period.

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