There are fewer companies flaring off natural gas today than there were six months ago. In March, the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission had 65 flaring authorizations. Members of the Legislatures Minerals Committee were told by Commission Supervisor Grant Black that now there is about half that number. He also said that companies generally request flaring permits when a compressor is down or there is no pipeline to get the gas to market and they’re seeing much less of the latter.
Director of the Office and State Lands and Investments, Ryan Lance, said part of the problem was that operators didn’t totally know what they had before they drilled and are now catching up.
“Industry is hearing and they’re working hard to get a handle on these flared volumes because they want to capture that volume too,” said Lance.
However, Lance still had concerns that royalties are not being paid on gas that is flared. The Revenue Committee is looking at that issue.
