Oakland, CA…California Attorney General Rob Bonta led a multistate comment letter in opposition to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) proposal to revise its 2024 Rule limiting wasteful leakage, venting, and flaring of gas on leased federal and tribal lands. The 2026 Rule proposes to amend the 2024 Rule and remove important sections related to waste minimization plans, leak detection and repair, and limits on royalty-free flaring, which would increase the amount of leaked or vented gas entering the atmosphere and reduce royalty payments to states.

“Once again the Trump Administration is choosing the bottom lines of special interests and corporations over the health and safety of the environment and the American people,” said Attorney General Bonta. “For years, venting, flaring, and leaks from the oil and gas industry have caused the waste of natural gas and deprived American taxpayers, states, and tribes of adequate royalty revenues. The 2024 Rule was a commonsense step forward, and I won’t stand idly by as reasonable safeguards to prevent waste and compensate the public are being blatantly removed.”

The 2024 Rule required operators to take reasonable steps to avoid wasteful leakage, venting, and flaring of natural gas on leased federal and tribal land. It compensated the public for wasted gas by requiring royalties on gas that operators let escape into the atmosphere. The 2024 Rule also had climate benefits because the primary constituent of natural gas is methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

In an effort to reach the goals set forth in President Trump’s Executive Order “Unleashing American Energy,” BLM now proposes to remove key sections of the 2024 Rule related to waste minimization plans, leak detection and repair programs, and limits on royalty-free flaring.

In the comment letter, the coalition argues against the 2026 Rule because:

• BLM failed to provide a reasoned explanation for entirely removing substantive sections of the 2024 Rule, without repealing or contradicting the factual findings that it relied on just two years before. Without providing analysis that would support this reversal in policy, BLM vaguely refers to “unnecessary compliance burdens” for operators as justification for the arbitrary and capricious changes.
• BLM fails to fulfill its statutory mandates under the new rule because it doesn’t prevent undue waste, protect the quality of ecological, environmental, and air and atmospheric values, or hold lessees liable for royalty payments and wasted oil and gas.
• The states have an interest in protecting the environment and collecting royalties through the 2024 Rule. BLM administers 15.2 million acres of public lands in California, equal to nearly 15% of the state. BLM estimated that the 2024 Rule would result in an additional $39 million in royalties annually, half of which will be allocated to states like California. If the 2026 Rule is finalized, royalties will be reduced by $19 million per year. This Rule will also result in less captured gas, with a reduction in benefits in the form of captured gas around $1.7 million per year.

In filing the comment letter, Attorney General Bonta leads the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Michigan, New Mexico, and Oregon.