In the coming weeks, Senators Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson may be asked to do away with another Obama era rule, this time one aimed at curbing natural gas waste on federal lands. But that would be a mistake. Congress taking action to repeal the methane waste rule is not only unnecessary, it would limit options for the Trump Administration’s newly appointed Secretary of Interior to tackle the problem and get taxpayers a fair return for the natural gas we all own.

The Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) ensures responsible oversight and usage of our public lands for the benefit of both American industries and individuals. Part of this job means monitoring and preventing the waste of natural gas, which often occurs through venting and flaring on our public lands. Due to new extraction techniques, oil and natural gas development has increased exponentially in the past few years. While this means more natural gas moving to the market and powering our homes and industries, it also means we have to keep a careful eye on natural gas waste throughout the production process on our public lands. Currently, around $400 million worth of taxpayer owned natural gas goes up in flames each year, and taxpayers are losing out.

Last year, the BLM proposed a solution to help ensure oil and gas companies conduct themselves responsibly on our public lands. No rule is perfect, but this rule is a step in the right direction. Now, however, all of the progress made by the BLM is in jeopardy. A little known law called the Congressional Review Act (CRA) allows Congress to repeal the new rule, but it also prevents the BLM from taking any similar action unless Congress passes new legislation authorizing it. As a result, taxpayers could be locked into the old 1979 rule.

Some on Capitol Hill are starting to realize this. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) recently voiced his opposition to using the CRA on the BLM methane waste rule, calling it “heavy handed,” in reference to its ability to inhibit future action on the issue.

It’s almost unanimous that wasted natural gas is a problem and that taxpayers should get royalties for this lost gas. The new Administration now has the opportunity to tackle the problem the way they see fit. Congress should step back and let them do the work.

This is not a partisan issue. Both Democrats and Republicans agree that we should be prudent with our public energy resources, especially because we have technology to prevent waste at our fingertips. We need to put an end to methane waste, so we can increase revenue for state and federal budgets, and harness more natural gas to power our nation.

Senators Nelson and Rubio should join Sen. Graham in acknowledging that the use of a CRA is not the way forward on methane waste. Taxpayers of Florida and across the country will thank them.