Flaring Waste Runs Counter to Texas Values; Time for Railroad Commission to Act

EDF statement from Colin Leyden, Director, Regulatory and Legislative Affairs

(AUSTIN, TX) In an online hearing today, the Texas Railroad Commission heard from a panel of industry trade groups that had been asked by Chairman Wayne Christian to recommend ways to reduce flaring. EDF and other concerned stakeholders also delivered testimony during the hearing. 

“Operators in this state have sent a trillion cubic feet of natural gas up in smoke since 2013, enough to meet the yearly needs of every home in Texas three times over. The unnecessary waste and pollution from routine flaring is an affront to the values we all hold true. That’s why you hear everyone from mineral owners, investors, and environmentalists, to oil and gas companies themselves, calling for an end to flaring. The commission should listen to these calls and set a firm goal for an end to routine flaring by 2025.” 

  • Colin Leyden, Director, Regulatory and Legislative Affairs 
     

With more than 3 million members, Environmental Defense Fund creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. To do so, EDF links science, economics, law, and innovative private-sector partnerships to turn solutions into action. edf.org

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