In a move that signifies Texas' stiff resistance to federal environmental policy, the state's oil and gas regulator, the Railroad Commission of Texas, took a firm stance against newly minted methane regulations. On Tuesday, the commission voted to promptly seek legal action through the State Attorney General's Office, gearing up to directly confront the federal government over its latest mandate aimed to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas industry.
According to the Houston Chronicle, the new rules, which were finalized during December's COP28 climate summit, are specifically designed to not just merely reduce emissions of the greenhouse gas methane but also curtail smog-forming volatile organic compounds over the coming years. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has touted these regulations as a means to alleviate climate impact and bolster public health, projecting savings of up to $7.6 billion annually by 2038.
Representatives of the Railroad Commission, which oversees the largest oil and gas sector in the country, argue the rule is going to potentially have devastating financial impacts on smaller Texas producers. The regulators believe the measures, including compliance requirements for older wells, could edge minor operators out of the business, as highlighted by the Bloomberg report.
Environmental groups, however, have another stand on the issue. Adrian Shelley, Texas director of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, said in a statement yesterday that the "commission is so used to treating the fossil fuel industry with such a light touch that it moved to block a methane reduction rule that oil and gas producers generally did not want to fight." Despite their appeal for cooperation between state and federal efforts, the Railroad Commission and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality have accused the EPA of overreach.
During the commission's meeting, attendees from nonprofits like Public Citizen, the Environmental Defense Fund, and Environment Texas urged the panel to reconsider. However, Commissioner Wayne Christian rebutted the criticism from Environment Texas, stating, "To say we've sat back and done nothing is a bald-faced lie," as reported by the Houston Chronicle.
