US finalizes rule to limit gas 'flaring' at drilling sites

WASHINGTON (AP) — With two months left in President Barack Obama's term, his administration issued a rule Tuesday intended to clamp down on oil companies that burn off natural gas on public lands.

Trump has said he will seek to sharply increase oil and gas drilling on federal lands and said on the campaign trail that restrictions supported by Obama and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton would hurt energy-producing states such as Colorado.

The rule, developed by Interior's Bureau of Land Management, will require oil and gas producers to limit the rate of flaring at oil wells on public and tribal lands, periodically inspect their operations for leaks and replace outdated equipment that vents large quantities of gas into the air.

The oil industry has argued that new regulations are not needed for methane because the industry already has a financial incentive to capture and sell natural gas.