Bill Fails To Reduce Amount of Natural Gas Flared - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

The North Dakota Senate voted down a bill that put pressure on oil companies to reduce flaring natural gas in the state.

More than 30 percent of the state's gas production is being flared because pipelines and gas processing facilities have not kept pace with production.

Currently the state allows oil companies to burn off natural gas for a year without paying taxes or royalties on it.

Donnell Preskey has more on the vote on Senate Bill 2315.

<< North Dakota Senators defeated a bill that was intended to reduce the amount of natural gas flared at well sites.

The bill eliminated tax exemptions given to oil companies flaring gas for more than one year.

Senator Tim Mathern says 1/4 of all natural gas being burned off in the nation is flared in North Dakota.

He says the state is missing an opportunity and is being wasteful.

(Sen. Tim Mathern / (D) Fargo) "The rest of the country is looking at North Dakota. The rest of the country is wondering how we are using our resources. The rest of the country is wondering how we are going to be as leaders. This blessing has a responsibility."

(Sen. Bill Bowman / (R) Bowman) "We have to have a little patience, because it does take time to make these things happen, but it is happening. In a couple years you are going to see a lot of these problems being corrected."

The bill was defeated by a vote of 13-34.>>

Senator Mathern says the amount of natural gas being flared in North Dakota is enough to heat 500,000 homes a day.