Jimmy Groton manage regulation that cuts natural gas waste.

On President Donald Trump’s first day in office, the White House released the America First Energy Plan, which outlines his administration’s intent to maximize development of American energy resources and use revenue from those resources to fund improvement projects for public infrastructure.But before Trump even came into office, the Bureau of Land Management embraced this goal in January when the Methane and Waste Prevention Rule developed during the Obama administration to cut natural gas waste from federal and tribal lands took effect.Natural gas waste is rampant from oil and gas operations on our public lands, whether it’s through the deliberate burning of vented natural gas or through leaky equipment and infrastructure.Recent estimates suggest that negligent drilling practices result in the loss of more than 65 billion cubic feet of natural gas every year – enough to heat more than 1.5 million American homes annually. In fact, more than $330 million worth of natural gas is wasted in a single year. That’s roughly $1 million worth of natural gas wasted every day, even though the technologies that can reduce natural gas waste are some of the most affordable in the energy industry. And some of them are built here in Tennessee with more manufacturing jobs just waiting to be unleashed.We’ve made great strides in recent years toward the improvement of air quality in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and all across Tennessee. It would be a shame to reverse those gains so oil and gas companies could more easily waste public resources. Eighty percent of those who live out West, those most directly affected by the rule, support efforts to curb waste. Nationwide, that number is 73 percent. This is because the rule was crafted over multiple years, with eight public forums and more than 300,000 public comments. These rules were written for the public, by the public, and are largely supported by the public.However, the oil industry wants Congress to repeal these rules through the Congressional Review Act, an extreme tool that would prohibit the government from ever trying to establish similar rules for curbing waste of these taxpayer-owned resources. It is clear that these efforts are meant to confuse people and create doubt.The public support for this rule is widespread. This rule has received bipartisan support from veterans' groups, conservationists, agricultural interests and fiscal conservatives. We need to remind all Americans that we can responsibly develop our natural resources without placing unnecessary burdens on the American people or the American economy.Commonsense policies that can enhance our economy, conserve our resources and protect hardworking taxpayers are core American values that lawmakers, regardless of party, have long agreed are essential to America’s prosperity.If the Trump administration wants to implement smart, fiscally sound energy policy that does not waste taxpayer dollars, it should start by keeping the Methane and Waste Prevention Rule in place.