The National Stripper Well Association (NSWA) Chairman Dick Schremmer issued the following statement.

“We have been working with small business members of the oil & gas industry and the EPA on the proposed methane rule that was just released.

“We acknowledge the progress EPA has made to lessen the burden to the small business oil and gas producers. However, we have grave concerns about the effect this regulation will have on everyday Americans.

“Just as all tax increases eventually impact everyone, so do new regulations. These methane regulations will have a chilling effect on an already damaged economy. The cost of energy will dramatically increase. The cost of all goods and services will be impacted by this expansive regulation. If we do this without the rest of the world taking similar measures, it will ‘unilaterally disarm the U.S. Economy.’ The climate is worldwide and not just specific to one country.

“Our nation’s leaders are right to pursue measures that will address climate change. However, they have drastically underestimated the cost and the efficacy of a complete paradigm shift on how we fuel our everyday lives and our economy. They have also underestimated the effect the pending methane tax in Congress will have on the entire U.S.

“We hope common sense and reality will sink in with our policymakers who seem to be responding to the loudest voices in the room with little consideration for everyday Americans who will feel the sting of the increased cost of everything.

“We have made dramatic progress over the last decades in cleaning up our waterways as well as our air. We should and will continue to do better. But we must be thoughtful about the cost-benefit of such a dramatic measure.”