Comment on FR Doc # 2026-12738

I am writing to submit my formal opposition to the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed modifications to regulations governing royalties due on lost oil and natural gas. Easing the rules surrounding waste minimization and royalty obligations for vented or flared gas is a major step backward for environmental safety, public health, and fair resource management. Natural gas lost through venting and flaring represents a flagrant waste of public resources that belongs to the American people. Under the guise of reducing regulatory burdens, this proposal weakens the accountability metrics that ensure operators avoid unnecessary and negligent resource losses. By stripping robust oversight and stripping required self-certification or waste minimization plans, the BLM is removing the precise tools necessary to ensure fiscal responsibility and curtail avoidable waste on public lands. Furthermore, methane is an exceptionally potent greenhouse gas. Allowing companies to lose and burn away natural gas with fewer royalty penalties directly disincentivizes the deployment of modern capturing technologies, expanding unnecessary atmospheric pollution. When operators waste public energy resources, they should pay royalties to the public, plain and simple. The BLM has a statutory obligation under the Mineral Leasing Act to prevent the undue waste of federal resources. The agency should stand by rigorous, proactive waste prevention measures rather than rewriting the rules to allow operators to avoid paying for the public resources they vent, flare, or lose. I strongly urge the BLM to reject these proposed modifications and preserve the strict compliance standards governing lost oil and gas royalties.