North Dakota joins several states in suit against federal methane regualtions

(WDAY Radio) -- North Dakota is joining Montana, Texas, and Wyoming and is filing a lawsuit in North Dakota Federal District Court challenging the Bureau of Land Management's methane pollution rule. 

That's the rule that places a royalty on flared gas, and places a monthly limit on flaring.  It also adds new application requirements for operators to capture natural gas before they can get a drilling permit.  

North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer has called the rule "unnecessary bureaucratic red tape in developing federal minerals".