SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) — California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas announced Nov. 6 that they have urged the Trump administration to keep and enforce the Waste Prevention Rule.
The rule went into effect Jan. 17 and mandates that all oil and natural gas producers in the country reduce their wasteful methane leakage on federal lands. According to Becerra, abolishing the rule would be arbitrary and would not fit with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) mandate to prevent waste and ensure public safety.
“As a result of the Waste Prevention Rule, oil and gas operators on federal and Indian lands are required to prevent the dangerous waste of natural gas," Becerra said. "This is a significant development, as natural gas emissions threaten the health of nearby residents and our environment. “If the Trump administration suspends this rule, we are ready to take any necessary steps to help our children breathe cleaner air and to protect our planet.”
California and New Mexico have been staunch defenders of the Waste Prevention Rule since December 2016, when the states of Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota and Texas brought legal challenges against the rule.