A North Dakota district judge has temporarily blocked a Biden administration rule that would require U.S. exploration and production (E&P) companies to reduce natural gas flaring from wells on federal and tribal lands.
The U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) earlier this year finalized a rule designed to curb methane pollution from oil and natural gas production on federal and tribal lands, in part by collecting royalty payments on flared gas.
North Dakota as lead plaintiff challenged the ruling in April with Montana, Texas, Wyoming and Utah. The states argue that BLM has overstepped its regulatory authority (State of North Dakota, et al, vs U.S. Department of Interior, et al, No. 1:24-cv-00066).
