Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency for the first time released new rules to curb emissions of methane, a component of natural gas that contributes to climate change. The rule requires the oil and gas industry to reduce emissions significantly over the next decade on new, modified and reconstructed infrastructure, like wells, pipelines and processing and storage facilities.

Not only are these rules beneficial for the environment and public health, but they also boost the economy. The more methane prevented from escaping into the atmosphere through the use of leak-detection systems and improved technology, the more money for the industry, its subsidiaries and the property owners who hold the mineral rights to oil and gas. Methane reclamation even has spawned an industry unto itself.

The EPA rule was followed in November by the roll-out of similar rules pertaining to drilling on federal and tribal lands. The Bureau of Land Management's Methane and Waste Prevention Rule aims to regulate flaring, venting and leaking of methane on these lands by the oil and gas industry. Flaring is the burning of natural gas that cannot be processed or sold. Venting refers to the controlled release of natural gas into the atmosphere.

The BLM estimates that natural gas valued at $454 million was vented or flared in 2014 on federal and tribal lands. That's $56 million of tax revenue never realized.

No sooner had the BLM's rule been finalized than it came under attack. The House of Representatives already has advanced legislation that would dismantle the rule. It could come before the U.S. Senate for a vote any day now.

These rules no doubt come at a cost for the industry, so it's no surprise there has been resistance. But to roll back these rules, as some would hope, particularly the BLM rule now before lawmakers for consideration, would be unwise and shortsighted. Methane poses a recognized danger to the environment and human health. Allowing this resource to continue to be wasted in the ways it has for years makes little business sense, either.

The emergence of the oil and gas industry in the Utica Shale formation has created a groundswell of economic opportunities for Ohioans. Those benefits will continue to come, including in the form of pipelines to transport natural gas. While we've long advocated for this development, we've also urged that it be done responsibly.

If the Senate moves ahead and dismantles the BLM's Methane and Waste Prevention Rule, we fear the EPA rule on reducing methane standards would be next. A better approach would be to address any concerns that might exist within the rule, rather than to eliminate it in its entirety.

GATEHOUSE OHIO MEDIA