Interior moves to delay Obama’s methane leak rule

The Interior Department moved Wednesday toward an 18-month delay in implementing the Obama administration’s rule to limit methane leaks from oil and natural gas drilling on federal land. Under a proposal set to be published Thursday in the Federal Register, the key requirements for oil and gas drillers would be delayed until January 2019. Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is using that time to decide whether to fully repeal the regulation. “The BLM is currently reviewing the 2016 final rule and wants to avoid imposing temporary or permanent compliance costs on operators for requirements that may be rescinded or significantly revised in the near future,” the agency said in its notice. Trump administration officials said they are concerned that the rule “may have underestimated costs and overestimated benefits, and is therefore presently reviewing that analysis for potential inaccuracies.”http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/353929-interior-moves-to-delay-obamas-methane-leak-rule