PHOENIX – Efforts by the oil and gas industry to roll back an Obama-era environmental rule don't sit well with most Arizonans, according to a new poll.

The energy industry wants Congress to kill a rule which reduces the amount of natural gas released or burned off at drilling sites on public land.

Lost royalties cost the federal, state and tribal governments millions of dollars annually. The Interior Department says enough natural gas was lost between 2009 and 2015 to serve more than 6 million homes for a year.

David Jenkins, president of the advocacy group Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship, says the idea of saving taxpayers money has bipartisan appeal.

"These assets that the BLM manages, of natural gas, if it's flared and not responsibly collected, you know, we don't get royalties on that," he explained. "So taxpayer assets are just being wasted and put up into the air."

The poll by Colorado College shows that four out of five Arizonans support the rule. Another survey by Adrian Gray Consulting finds that seven out of ten people nationwide are behind it too, with nearly equal support from Republicans, Democrats and Independents.

Oil and gas companies say the rule is expensive and unnecessary. They scored their first victory three weeks ago when the House voted to kill it. The issue nows goes to the Senate where Jenkins and others are looking to Arizona Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake for support.

"They've told us they're still looking at it," he said. "They haven't committed one way or the other. We're holding out hope for them as well."

This is the second rollback of an Obama environmental rule by the Republican-led Congress. Earlier this month, they scrapped a rule that limited how much mining waste could be dumped into small waterways. GOP leaders promise that more rollbacks are coming, as they follow President Donald Trump's lead to reduce government regulations.


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A federal agency today is expected to announce reforms related to the power grid, which is stretched thin as the nation transitions away from fossil fuels.

It's a complex issue clean-energy advocates in the Midwest know far too well.

There's a push to expand transmission lines to accommodate the tidal wave of wind, solar, and other renewable projects.

Rules being unveiled could address the thorny issue of cost-sharing among states for the build-out.

More broadly, the Midwest Renewable Energy Association's Executive Director Nick Hylla said market dynamics are tricky - noting competing interests among utilities and developers in expanding the grid.

He said another issue is protecting wildlife.

"The history of management of transmission lines isn't some solid track record from an environmental-conservation point of view," said Hylla. "We could be doing a much better job in transmission corridors."

In these cases, decarbonization groups and conservationists are at odds with each other. Notably, a recent court ruling is allowing a transmission line project involving Wisconsin to advance.

Hylla said "non-wire alternatives" are emerging to help the movement without turning to the grid.

In Minnesota, Xcel Energy has been testing a program that incentivizes customers to curb energy use during peak demand.

Similar programs are taking shape elsewhere, but industry analysts say these initiatives are navigating their own barriers as they try to get off the ground.

Still, Hylla said an example of this approach along the East Coast is turning some heads.

"It's a BYOB program - Bring Your Own Battery program - that now, over 24,000 customers in three eastern states have subscribed to," said Hylla. "It's basically a subsidy to put a battery in your house and just to make sure that you're not using electricity in peak times. "

As governments, utilities and other entities face pressure to meet climate goals amid soaring demand for electricity, Hylla suggested these solutions will have to work hand-in-hand.

His group is focused on efficiencies, such as rooftop solar, to reshape the distribution of energy.

But he said large-scale renewable projects play a role, too, including the economic benefits for communities in which they're located.




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Wisconsin's clean-energy portfolio is growing. Communities seeing the transition happen at their doorstep might get benefits, but sometimes have questions about the scope of these projects. A new grant could help deliver the facts.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension has received a $1 million federal grant to educate towns and cities about large-scale solar, wind and similar development in their areas. Under state law, projects of at least 100 megawatts don't need local approval.

Sherrie Gruder, the extension's sustainable design specialist and energy strategist, said the outreach strikes a balance between boosting the clean-energy transition and factoring in local feedback from community interests.

"Looking at endangered species in the area - will they be protected - to what happens to the water in the wells when the land isn't being farmed for that time?" she said.

Gruder said they'll also use the listening sessions to help dispel misinformation about renewable energy. Also, residents can learn about the economic benefits that trickle down to their government, creating discussions about how to spend that revenue. This type of engagement comes as hundreds of locally adopted restrictions for wind and solar development surface around the United States.

Gruder said another important form of guidance is tips on lease agreements between landowners and project developers. She noted that they want these individuals to be able to ask the right questions.

"Not all farmers are going to spend $300 to $500 an hour to talk with an attorney," she added, "but we could help educate them on that type of thing."

A coalition of Wisconsin organizations will assist with the outreach. According to the extension, the Badger State currently has 33 large-scale solar developments in place or under development in 21 counties.


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With less than a month left in the New York Legislature's session, environmentalists are pushing for the HEAT Act's passage.

Last-minute stalling from the Assembly kept it from being in the 2025 budget. The bill phases out gas line extension allowances and gives the Public Service Commission authority to align utility companies with the state's climate laws.

Lisa Marshall, advocacy and organizing director for New Yorkers for Clean Power, said lawmakers have no time to play politics with the state's climate future "in a time where we've had the hottest year on record, record-breaking floods, our train system flooded out, air that children can't go outside and play and breathe for weeks on end. And, they can't see it's necessary to crack down and get to work and start to move the climate plan forward, then that's on them."

Passing the bill has faced misinformation campaigns from fossil-fuel companies and some skepticism from lawmakers about relying entirely on electricity. They have argued it's not useful if the power goes out, but infrastructure would prevent many fossil-fuel energy sources from working correctly with the power out, too. Gov. Kathy Hochul has said she'll sign the bill if the Legislature passes it.

Reports show New York won't reach its 2030 climate goals because of clean-energy projects falling through and climate legislation failing to pass.

Michael Hernandez, New York policy director for Rewiring America, noted that the Public Service Commission and utilities are required by law to build out gas pipes, keeping New Yorkers stuck on fossil fuels. He said the HEAT Act changes that.

"This is the way forward," he said. "This provides the pathway where we can start to consider what are the other ways that we can innovate and improve our energy infrastructure."

The HEAT Act could cut utility bills nearly in half for one in four energy-burdened New Yorkers. Some shortcomings for New York's climate goals include three offshore wind projects recently being canceled because of "material modifications."