Our industry is highly regulated. These regulations ensure we operate in a safe, responsible manner to protect our employees, communities where we operate and the environment. However, the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has proposed a new rule to limit natural gas venting and flaring that could have the unintended effects of reducing production in our operating areas, thus preventing associated state revenues.

It’s not a secret that Texas is America’s top oil and natural gas producing state. But what that means economically isn’t that well known. Recently released data from the Texas Oil & Gas Association (TXOGA) shows that the industry paid $13.8 billion in state and local taxes and state royalties in fiscal year 2015.