October 2011, Vol. 238 No. 10

Government

Markey, Holt Push Legislation to Reduce Wasteful Natural Gas Flaring

Two House Democrats introduced legislation Oct. 14 targeted at the practice of excessively burning natural gas emanating from wells drilled for crude oil. A release on the topic of the legislation characterized the practice as “becoming increasingly prevalent in places like North Dakota, as recently reported in the New York Times, but could become more widespread without intervention.” Reps. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rush Holt (D-N.J.) introduced the FLARE Act (Fuel Loss Abatement and Royalty Enhancement Act) to cut back on flaring of natural gas. “When American families are having a tough time paying their energy bills, this wanton wasting of American energy re