Colorado energy regulators have voted for a curtailment of gas flaring at oil and gas production sites, limiting approved flaring to just a few circumstances, the Colorado Sun reports , noting that flaring is relatively rare in the state, compared with other states where it is routine. The rule will help mitigate climate change, ensure the safety of groundwater, and make sure soil resources are available to grow healthy crops and vegetation, the director of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, Julie Murphy, said in a statement as quoted by Bloomberg Law. Every year, the oil and gas industry flares some 150 billion cubic meters of natural gas. The reasons vary: at oil fields, gas is flared when there are no pipelines to transport it to a collection or storage hub; at refineries, some gases must be flared to avoid explosions. The biggest flarers globally are major oil-producing […]