This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has new rules to reduce waste of natural gas during oil and gas production on federal and tribal lands. For us, that's mainly the Uinta Basin. Our Utah Department of Air Quality (DAQ) made similar rules, which go into effect on Utah-controlled land in 2017.

Two years ago, I went to Washington to comment for Breathe Utah that BLM must make stronger rules to stop natural gas wasting. We were measuring very high ozone and PM2.5 in the Uinta Basin. Oil and gas development contributes most of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the Basin, and well over half of the nitrogen oxides (NOx). These are the main ingredients of ozone pollution. (In the Wasatch Valley we suffer from the same pollutants; ours come from vehicles and heating buildings.)

Now I've gone to Denver to say thank you. The final form of the BLM rule is out for comment. We think it's very good for people in the Uinta Basin, and everywhere oil and gas mining happens. It could be even stronger.

To capture every bit of wasted gas, there could be more frequent leak detection and other inspections, but it's an important step in the right direction. Breathe Utah thinks it's a very good, very necessary rule, that closes a lot of gaps — regulatory gaps and literal leaky gaps.

According to BLM data, oil and gas companies working on BLM land lost 375 billion cubic feet of natural gas between 2009 and 2014 — enough gas for about 5.1 million households for a year, or all the households in Salt Lake County for about 11 years. Of course that wasted gas, that air pollution, causes problems. It makes smog because it's made of methane, VOCs, NOx and many other toxins, like benzene.

No wonder Uinta Basin air is dirty.

Methane, the primary gas released, isn't a good substitute for oxygen for breathing, as Breathe Utah testified in support of the rulemaking. And it's an especially powerful greenhouse gas. BLM made a very strong rule, very good rule. Now there's one last set of hearings, and then it will be the new way of doing oil and gas field business.

Natural gas wasting will be stopped several ways. We know that flaring is bad because so much local Wasatch Valley pollution is from burning gas for travel and heat. Venting poisonous gases without burning them is way worse. Both are preventable. BLM's alternative is for the operators to capture, transport and process that gas. The technologies already exist. It isn't rocket science. It is actually a moneymaker for the operators.

Simple repairs and good maintenance practices easily control most gas that leaks. It leaks out of connectors, pipes and storage containers. It leaks during drilling and well-maintenance processes, and it leaks during completion and closure operations at wellheads. These kinds of leaks are easy to fix.

All the wasted gas can be collected, and all the collecting will make jobs, not break jobs. There is plenty of work to be done — checking, repairing, replacing and upgrading all installations to the new "best practices" clean air standards.

It's really worth the trouble. BLM's estimates are very rough, and probably low. For sure they aren't too high.

The EPA just announced that its estimates for natural gas being lost into our air were 27 percent too low, so it's fair to guess BLM's will turn out the same way. BLM thinks the new rules will reduce methane emissions by at least 164,000 to 169,000 tons per year, worth maybe $180 million to $253 million yearly, and reduce VOC emissions by 391,000 to 411,000 tons per year. Medical people say that would be extremely valuable for people's health.

When all the previously lost and wasted gas is paid for, BLM and the states will get more royalties, probably between $9 million to $17 million a year.

With all the new controls, and all the new valuable gas, relative changes in production are expected to be small enough that the proposed rule won't significantly impact the price, supply, or distribution of energy.

So it's a win all around.

Linda Johnson is a member of the board of Breathe Utah.