Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller Statement on BLM Proposal to Gut Rule on Natural Gas Waste Prevention

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Today, Albuquerque Mayor and Former New Mexico State Auditor Tim Keller issued the following statement after the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced that it is proposing to replace the 2016 rule to limit the waste of taxpayer-owned natural gas on public lands.

“The announcement from the Trump Administration of a dramatic weakening of BLM’s methane requirements is a step toward more waste of New Mexico’s natural resources. New Mexico, Albuquerque, and our schools need more funding, not less. These oil and gas resources belong to every New Mexican. Gutting these standards is a failure of Secretary Zinke’s duty to wisely manage our resources and ensure a fair return to taxpayers.”

The public will be able to comment when the proposed rule appears in the Federal Register, which is expected this week. Comment can be submitted on line here: http://www.regulations.gov or by mail to: U.S. Department of the Interior, Director (630), Bureau of Land Management, Mail Stop 2134LM, 1849 C St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20240, Attention:  1004-AE52.