skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

U.S. gender wage gap grows for the first time in a decade; Trump has embraced NC's Mark Robinson, calling him 'Martin Luther King on steroids; Volunteers sought as early voting kicks off in MN; Women's political contributions in congressional races fall short of men's.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

BLM Finalizes Rule to Curb Natural-Gas Waste

play audio
Play

Wednesday, November 16, 2016   

SANTA FE, N.M. - In these waning days of the Obama administration, the Bureau of Land Management just finalized a new set of rules to cut down on natural-gas emissions at well sites on public land.

Studies have shown that gas valued at about $330 million is wasted each year through leaks, venting and flaring at well sites - just under a third of that in New Mexico alone - which means lost royalties for state and tribal governments.

Laurie Weahkee, executive director of the Native American Voters Alliance and the Dine (Navajo) Cochiti and Zuni Pueblo, applauded the new regulations.

"For one, it protects the earth," she said. "We're concerned about the emissions and its impact on our communities. When all that harmful pollution is prevented, then it makes money for the tribes, as well as it protects our climate."

The new rules will be phased in and will require companies to install methane-capture equipment on their wells. A "threat map" released by The Wilderness Society and Earthworks shows that nearly 50,000 New Mexicans live within a half-mile of oil and gas wells on BLM-managed land.

Jim Ramey, outreach coordinator for The Wilderness Society, said the change cracks down on air pollutants that are harmful to human health and that contribute to climate change.

"This rule tries to cut back on all of that," he said, "through having companies actually look for leaks and repair them, through putting limits on the intentional burning through flaring and venting."

Ramey said he thinks the regulations could survive the next administration because they prevent waste, create compliance-related jobs that cannot be outsourced, and ultimately will save oil and gas companies money, since the gas that once was wasted can now be sold.

The regulations are online at blm.gov.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Health Literacy Month, and a Denver-based group is working to help health professionals break a persistent pattern of discrimination …

Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …


Alabama releases roughly 220,279 men and 78,247 women from its prisons and jails each year. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In North Carolina, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual cost of dental care has reached a crisis point, impacting both …

So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

Social Issues

play sound

Like polling from other battleground states, the race for the White House remains close in Wisconsin. But fresh numbers out this week show some …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021