"Obama Methane Standards Sidelined, Yet Again"

"Obama-era restrictions on methane emissions from the oil and gas industry are once again sidelined after a federal court today agreed to freeze implementation.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming ruled that it "makes little sense" to require the oil and gas industry to comply with key provisions of the Bureau of Land Management's methane venting and flaring rule when the agency is working on a rollback.

The decision effectively reverses a brief revival of the rule that was set in motion in February when a California district court rejected earlier Trump administration efforts to suspend it.

Judge Scott Skavdahl, an Obama appointee to the Wyoming federal court, agreed with Trump officials and industry lawyers that companies should not have to comply while BLM is working on a broader plan to undo most of the regulation. The agency says it expects to finish that rollback by August."

Ellen M. Gilmer reports for E&E News PM April 4, 2018.