Environmentalists ask court to restore oil-gas emission rule

DENVER – Environmentalists are asking an appeals court to reinstate a rule restricting harmful methane emissions on U.S. lands, at least temporarily.

Attorneys for 13 groups on Friday asked a federal appeals court in Denver to block an order by a lower court that halted the regulation.

The rule required energy companies to capture methane gas instead of burning it or wasting it at drilling sites on public lands.

The rule was imposed near the end of the Obama administration in 2016. The Trump administration is trying to reverse it.

A U.S. judge in Wyoming blocked the rule earlier this month, saying it provided little public benefit but could be costly for industry.

The environmental groups say the Wyoming judge didn’t take all the required steps before acting.