Dear editor:

Having family in Powell, I read The Powell Tribune article: “U.S. states sue over rule curbing oil and gas methane waste” (May 2 issue). While I favor clean air as much as the next person, I also believe that the Biden administration could focus its efforts better in other places to achieve the desired effects.

I think that Wyoming, North Dakota, Montana and my home state of Texas, have every right to challenge the legality and feasibility of such tight regulations. Oil and gas drillers are already doing what they can to minimize leaks in pipes. The Biden administration rule also requires oil and gas producers to pay royalties for natural gas flaring or venting if those losses are considered to have been avoidable. I can almost agree on a portion of that, if (and only if) the lost energy could have been encapsulated or harnessed. 

The producers say that such tight restrictions will drive up energy costs by making oil and gas development more expensive. That would mean the loss of tens of millions of dollars in royalties that currently go to schools, roads and state government. I just feel that the Biden administration should promote good stewardship of the land without being so stringent as to stifle a vital industry. Cattle and bison flatulence is methane too, but we shouldn’t blame the poor animal. Human beings can work together for cooperative solutions.

James A. Marples

Longview, Texas