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Public Comments 04-11-2017 Methane Waste sign-on LetterPreston Neill To: Sarah Smith Hymes Subject: RE: PLEASE RESPOND: Deadline extended (again!) for Methane Waste sign -on letter Begin forwarded message: From: Jill Ryan <iill.rn(iDea leg county.us> Date: April 11, 2017 at 11:53:23 AM MDT To: Sarah Smith Hymes <shMes(i�avon.org> Subject: Fwd: PLEASE RESPOND: Deadline extended (again!) for Methane Waste sign - on letter Hi Sarah, Would you (and/or other Avon elected officials) consider signing the attached letter? Kathy and I did and it appears it is making a difference. Thank you. Jill Ryan Chairman Board of Eagle County Commissioners PO Box 850/500 Broadway Eagle, CO 81631 (970) 471-9682 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Gwen Lachelt <gwenAwesternleaders.org> Date: Fri, Apr 7, 2017 at 6:22 PM Subject: PLEASE RESPOND: Deadline extended (again!) for Methane Waste sign -on letter To: Gwen Lachelt <g enawesternleaders.org> Dear Colleagues - I'm writing to update you on the BLM Methane Rule and to ask you to share the attached letter with ,your fellow local and tribal elected officials! As you may know, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to overturn the BLM Methane Rule earlier this vear using the Congressional Review Act - Let's keep the pressure on and get more local and tribal elected officials from the Interior West states on this letter! You and sixty other local elected officials signed onto the attached letter to the U.S. Senate in February; Western Leaders Network is now looking to add another 60 signatures from local officials to this letter by COB on April 17th. The Methane Waste Rule helps prevent methane from leaking from pipelines, and it limits flaring and venting of gas in oil and gas operations on federal lands. Natural gas that stays in the pipeline is money in the bank. All this means more money in the U.S. Treasury and cleaner air for those of us who live with oil and gas development. Thanks! Gwen Here's a link to an article referencing our 2/28/17 letter: http://thehill.com/polic /�gy-environment/324860-repeal-of-obama-drillin -rule- stalls-in-the-senate For additional news articles on the Western Leaders Network letter visit: https://www.westemleaders.or /ng ews/ Gwen Lachelt Western Leaders Network Executive Director • La Plata County Commissioner 1309 East 3rd Avenue • Suite 22 P.O. Box 4433 Durango, Colorado 81302 505-469-0380 htlps://www.westemleaders.org/ Western Leaders Network P.O. Box 4433, Durango, CO 81302 February 28, 2017 Dear Senator: We are writing to express our opposition to a proposal to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to block rules issued by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to limit natural gas waste from the oil and gas sector. As elected officials from local governments across the Interior West, we strongly support this recently adopted rule on venting and flaring methane because it will cut natural gas waste on federal and tribal lands, will help ensure a fair return to local governments and the taxpaying public, will put our energy resources to good use, and will clean up our air. The CRA is a blunt tool that, if successful, would prevent any "substantially similar" rule from being issued, allowing the oil and natural gas industry to continue to waste hundreds of millions of dollars -worth of taxpayer owned resources every year, and use outdated, wasteful technologies. The BLM's rule to reduce methane waste from venting and flaring protects the interests of our western communities and constituents in a number of important ways: • The rule cuts the waste of American energy resources. On federal and tribal lands, the rule would save more than $330 million worth of natural gas annually that could be used to heat homes, power vehicles, or generate electricity. In fact, enough natural gas is being wasted on these lands to supply 760,000 households each year. The rule ensures a fair return to taxpayers. States, tribes and federal taxpayers lose royalty revenues when natural gas is wasted — as much as $23 million annually in royalty revenue for the Federal Government and the States that share it, according to a 2010 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. Federal royalties are split about evenly between the federal government and the states, and then used to help fund education, infrastructure projects, such as road and bridges, and mitigation projects to address the impacts of energy development to western communities. • The rule helps clean up our air. The same leaks that lead to natural gas waste also release toxic and smog -forming pollutants such as volatile organic compounds, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene. The same technologies that reduce natural gas waste also limit these other harmful pollutants and prevent asthma attacks and other smog - induced respiratory problems. • The rule helps create American jobs. Efforts to cut methane waste has put American entrepreneurs to work creating innovative, cutting-edge technologies to make it economically feasible for the oil and gas companies achieve reductions. A national rule to cut methane waste on public and tribal lands helps to deepen investment and create more jobs in this industry. westernleaders.org • (505) 469-0380 • info@westernleaders.org Leading oil and natural gas companies and several states, including Colorado, Wyoming, Ohio and Pennsylvania, have successfully adopted programs to reduce methane — the primary component of natural gas—and other air pollution from the oil and gas industry. After Colorado adopted the nation's first-ever rule to cut methane waste and pollution with support from both environmental advocates and oil and gas operators two years ago, the state's oil and gas industry has continued to grow. Colorado's natural gas production increased about 10 percent, oil production is up 58 percent, and the number of oil and gas wells also increased by more than three percent. This common sense rule has strong bipartisan support among the public. A bipartisan poll by Colorado College found that 80 percent of Westerners support action to cut natural gas waste on public lands, and a broad and diverse array of western stakeholders supported the BLM natural gas waste rule. We urge your opposition to using the Congressional Review Act to eliminate BLM's rule to reduce natural gas waste because of the rule's benefit to our local governments, constituents, and taxpayers. Sincerely yours, Colorado County Commissioners Gwen Lachelt La Plata County Commissioner Julie Westendorff La Plata County Commissioner Jason Anderson Saguache County Commissioner Jill Ryan Eagle County Commissioner Kathy Chandler -Henry Eagle County Commissioner Michael Whiting Archuleta County Commissioner Keith Baker Chaffee County Commissioner Karn Stiegelmcier Summit County Commissioner Mike Brazell Park County Commissioner Nancy Jackson Arapahoe County Commissioner Eva Henry Adams County Commissioner Steve Child Pitkin County Commissioner Hilary Cooper San Miguel County Commissioner Joan May San Miguel County Commissioner Ben Tisdel Kris Holstrom Ouray County Commissioner San Miguel County Commissioner westernleaders.org • (505) 469-0380 • info@westernleaders.org Cindy Domenico Suzanne Jones Boulder County Commissioner Mayor, City of Boulder Deb Gardner Sam Weaver Boulder County Commissioner Council Member, City of Boulder Elise Jones Aaron Brockett Boulder County Commissioner Council Member, City of Boulder Colorado Local Officials Liza Morzel Council Member, City of Boulder Christina Rinderle Mayor, City of Durango Mary Dolores Young Council Member, City of Boulder Anita "Sweetie" Marbury Councilor, City of Durango John Clark Mayor, Town of Ridgway Richard White Mayor Pro -Tem, City of Durango Erick Johnson Mayor Pro Tem, Town of Ridgway Christine Berg Mayor, City of Lafayette Ellen Hunter Councilor, Town of Ridgway Gustavo Reyna Mayor Pro -Tem, City of Lafayette Robb Austin Councilor, Town of Ridgway Merrily Mazza Council Member, City of Lafayette Britt Bassett Board Member, La Plata Electric Association Shakti Council Member, City of Lakewood Jeff Berman Board Member, La Plata Electric Association Polly Christensen Council Member, City of Longmont Jack Turner Board Member, La Plata Electric Association Connie Sullivan Mayor, Town of Lyons Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Kristopher Larsen Regina Lopez Whiteskunk Mayor, Town of Nederland Former Tribal Council Member Robin L. Kniech Council Member, City of Denver westernleaders.org • (505) 469-0380 • info@ westernleaders.org New Mexico Elected Officials Debbie O'Malley Bernalillo County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins Bernalillo County Commissioner Paula Garcia Mora County Commissioner George Trujillo Mora County Commissioner Anna Hansen Santa Fe County Commissioner Javier Gonzales Mayor, City of Santa Fe Joseph Maestas Santa Fe City Council Member Pat Davis Albuquerque City Council Member Katee McClure Aztec City Commissioner Senator Linda Lopez Albuquerque Senator Bill O'Neill Albuquerque Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino Albuquerque Senator Jeff Steinborn Las Cruces Representative Cheryl Williams Stapleton Albuquerque Nevada Elected Officials David Bobzien Council Member At -large, City of Reno Jenny Brekhus Council Member, Ward 1, City of Reno Chris Giunchigliani Clark County Commissioner Utah Elected Officials Rani Derasary Moab City Council Member Kalen Jones Moab City Council Member westernleaders.org • (505) 469-0380 • info@westernleaders.org