Every year, oil and gas companies waste billions of cubic feet of natural gas extracted from federal lands. Federal rules and statutes governing oil and gas drilling do not prohibit this waste and allow much of the lost gas to escape royalty-free. The practice of venting (releasing) and flaring (burning off) methane is a blatant waste of a valuable resource owned by American taxpayers and is a threat to near- and long-term energy security. Furthermore, methane is a potent greenhouse gas, a major accelerator of climate change, and is already imposing economic damages on taxpayers.

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) manages federal lands and has a legal obligation to prevent the waste of public resources and ensure taxpayers receive a fair return from onshore oil and gas development. To protect taxpayers and the climate alike, the agency must issue a new methane waste prevention rule for onshore oil and gas operators that eliminates waste from non-emergency (or routine) venting and flaring, while charging royalties on all wasted gas.

This report provides an overview of the best available data and illustrates the magnitude of gas lost on federal lands. These losses reveal how the policies guiding DOI agencies have been failing taxpayers for decades.

Read the full report below, or download here.