Commissioners of the Railroad Commission of Texas heard recommendations on flaring from three groups at a hearing in Austin June 16 and asked the RRC staff “to consider the recommendations and come back to the commission this fall with a plan of action.” Commissioners heard from industry trade associations, environmental advocacy groups, and oil and gas producers on “how Texas can implement meaningful reforms to reduce flaring before oil and gas activity returns.” Chairman Wayne Christian said, “We cannot continue to waste this much natural gas and allow the practice of flaring to tarnish the reputation of our state’s thriving energy sector to the general public and investors.”
Among the association leaders who testified was Ben Sheppard of Permian Basin Petroleum Association, who reminded commissioners that $4.5 billion in pipelines are expected to begin service within the next year, “which should meet transportation needs and help reduce flaring.” He added, “Over 10 years production in the Permian Basin has more than quadrupled, and infrastructure has been strained under that growth.” He said PBPA “believes economics and environmental stewardship can go hand-in-hand. This set of recommendations is the first step in changing the culture in the industry with regards to flaring.”
Others representatives from industry groups were Jason Modglin of Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, Ed Longanecker of Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association, and Todd Staples of Texas Oil and Gas Association. The state’s Blue Ribbon Taskforce for Oil Economic Recovery unveiled its report.
Pipelines are necessary to reduce flaring which are being protested by people who supposedly want to “save” the environments. If they’re so worried about the environment/planet then they should be pushing for pipelines instead of protesting. I think somebody from those groups should be at these meetings to hear their input and see if they’re really interested in “saving” the planet or just plain trying to stop energy production all together.