skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

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

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Methane Rule Faces Uncertain Fate

play audio
Play

Tuesday, May 2, 2017   

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new rule that would rein in methane pollution from natural gas and oil wells on public lands in Ohio and other states is facing an uncertain fate.

The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Methane and Waste Reduction Rule was finalized in November, and it requires companies to capture natural gas that is wasted through leaks, venting and flaring. The U.S. House of Representatives recently repealed the rule by using the Congressional Review Act.

Tracy Sabetta, the outreach director for the National Wildlife Federation in Ohio, says rescinding the rule not only threatens public health through increased air pollution, it also throws money down the drain.

"When we're having venting and flaring of this gas, we're wasting taxpayer dollars," she says. "In fact, there are estimates that we're looking at $800 million in royalties being lost over a decade because of venting and flaring of natural gas alone."

Opponents of the methane rule contend it requires oil and gas producers to install costly control equipment and will have an adverse impact on the industry.

If the repeal is approved by the Senate, the methane rule would be voided, and the BLM would be prohibited from issuing a similar rule in the future.

In Ohio, there are about 90 oil and gas wells in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and 500 in the Wayne National Forest. And because methane is a powerful climate pollutant, Sabetta says wasted emissions have a ripple effect on the environment and wildlife such as the Indiana bat.

"The range that they can be in Ohio has declined which is going to impact their reproduction," she adds. "While not everybody likes bats they are pretty important when it comes to eating insects and other invasive species and that impacts agriculture in Ohio."

Supporters say the rule spurs innovation and creates jobs in methane mitigation. Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown has publicly opposed the resolution and Sen. Rob Portman has remained publicly undecided.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

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