STATEMENT – DRC Statment on EPA Methane Flaring Rule 8.20.15
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 20, 2015
MEDIA CONTACT: mandy@drcinfo.com (701)-799-3494
Bismarck, ND – – Yesterday, the EPA released the rule to regulate methane emissions from oil and gas production in the United States. In North Dakota, large amounts of methane are flared into the atmosphere in order to speed up the recovery of oil from hydraulic fracturing.
Methane is a well-known pollutant and is toxic to the health of people, animals, and the environment. Those living in North Dakota’s oil patch know the effects of flaring too well, and the flares in western North Dakota can be seen from space, the practice is so widespread.
Speaking from her home in Belfield, ND Dakota Resource Council (DRC) Chair Linda Weiss had the following to say about the new rule. “There are legitimate reasons for flaring when a well is first drilled and fracked to test pressure and to regulate the flow of the well. However, the deliberate flaring of natural gas, including toxins like methane into the atmosphere, at even just one well site for years over the life of a well is inexcusable. It is a waste of our precious natural resources, and a loss of billions in tax revenue and mineral royalties. The natural gas that is flared every day in North Dakota could heat over 500,000 homes, and Dakota Resource Council supports the Obama Administration’s first attempt to curb this wasteful and hazardous practice. We now look to Governor Dalrymple. Will his words match his actions, and will North Dakota follow the EPA’s lead and take real steps to reducing flaring?”
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