U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado needs to take a stand on methane emissions

Sen. Cory Gardner had a chance to take a stand against his fellow Republicans’ plans to ax methane emissions regulations in a way that prohibits similar rules, but he demurred last week.

Instead it was Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John McCain of Arizona who voted with Democrats to block the use of the Congressional Review Act on methane emissions rules established for oil and gas extraction operations on federal and tribal lands. Michael Bennet, Colorado’s Democratic senator, bragged on Twitter he cast the final and deciding vote stopping debate with a 51-49 result. We appreciate Bennet’s vote on a tough issue.

Gardner, a first-term Republican from Yuma, says he wasn’t voting on the merits of the bill, but rather to move forward the issue for debate.

While his explanation is technically true, Colorado voters deserve to know where Gardner stands on this particular issue. Colorado has been a leader in finding middle-of-the road solutions for methane emissions, and the state’s leak detection and repair regulations are a model throughout the nation, even though compromise couldn’t be found on venting and flaring.

We took a nuanced position in January when we called for Congress not to repeal the methane rules, but acknowledged there are flaws in the regulations that could inhibit the development of oil reserves on certain federal lands. We think it’s a good idea for the Bureau of Land Management to keep these rules in place, but as limits on venting and flaring are slowly implemented the department needs to analyze any decrease it has on operations and tweak the limits accordingly. May- be even add exemptions for areas where pipelines are unfeasible or could harm the environment, and allow fee-driven waivers if the industry can prove capturing the gas is cost prohibitive.

Instead, all we got from Gardner was: “We would have had to make the decision based on those conversations with Coloradans that we were still having.”

Before Democrats start plotting their 2020 revenge, however, it is notable that Gardner was working behind the scenes on this issue. He was in direct communication with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on the day of the vote, trying to discover what the department could do even if the Congressional Review Act were used.

Zinke responded to Gardner’s question with a detailed memo about how the BLM could still limit the waste of gas and limit venting and flaring. “As Congress weighs its options, rest assured that the Department is committed to reducing methane waste; under my leadership, we will take the important steps to accomplish that goal. Responsible energy development and proper conservation are not mutually exclusive goals, and we will utilize reasonable regulations without hurting job creation and economic growth.”

Even with the demise of the repeal effort, Zinke still has room to tweak these rules, albeit through a more arduous process, to ensure it doesn’t stagnate extraction. Gardner did well pressing Zinke on the issue and genuinely trying to learn the ramifications of a “yes” vote.

The Bureau of Land Management must ensure resources owned by the American people are not wasted in the name of profit and at the expense of the environment. Coloradans deserve to know where Gardner stands on that fundamental issue.