by Daniel Corona

As a lifelong Nevadan and resident of Elko County, I understand how controversial the issue of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and our public lands is. This past year, it has become an especially contentious topic here in Elko County, with the BLM exploring the possibility of oil and gas leases on public acreage in our precious Ruby Mountains. Often referred to as the “Nevadan Swiss Alps,” these mountains are a popular destination for hunters, anglers and all manner of outdoor recreationists, myself included. As we look at the potential for energy development where locals and visitors also enjoy the outdoors, one thing is for certain: we need to be moving forward, not backward, when it comes to the management and regulation of oil and gas operations on our publicly owned lands.

For this reason, I support the BLM methane waste prevention rule. Completed in 2016, the methane rule is a common sense measure that reduces preventable air pollution and addresses the estimated $330 million of natural gas wasted each year from leaked, vented and flared methane on public lands. This is money that could be going to critical community infrastructure, including roads and schools. According to Colorado College’s 2018 Conservation in the West poll, 71 percent of Nevadans – and 75 percent of Westerners overall – support methane requirements for oil and gas producers that drill and mine on public lands. We know that these standards aren’t unreasonable because some of the best in the industry are already complying with methane emission safeguards.

In February, U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke proposed to revoke major parts of the methane rule, a move that contradicts public opinion, a U.S. Senate vote and multiple federal court rulings. If the Department of the Interior insists on a repeal or rewrite of this rule, then Nevadans – and all Americans – at least deserve a public process that is as comprehensive and inclusive as the last one. While drafting the methane rule, Interior held more than a half-dozen public hearings and considered more than 330,000 public comments. The final result had buy-in from the general public, industry representatives, environmentalists, tribes and other stakeholders.

Secretary Zinke should therefore extend the current public comment period, which is set to end on April 23, to give the public more time to weigh in on the proposed repeal. He should also schedule a minimum of one public hearing in the West, as our communities will be impacted by methane pollution the most.

The methane rule helps bring air quality regulations for oil and gas producers into the 21st century and in our part of Nevada, many oil and gas leases remain speculative but possible. Now is the time to get ahead of the curve and ensure that any production on the horizon will be done under the most up-to-date standards and regulations.

Update @ 1:02 p.m. on 3/30/18:  At Mr. Corona's request, this column was updated to change "$330 million of taxpayer money wasted" to "$330 million in natural gas wasted" each year from leaked, vented and flared methane on public lands.

Daniel Corona is the mayor of the City of West Wendover. At age 26, he is the youngest mayor in the state. He was born and raised in West Wendover and is a fourth generation Nevada resident.