Most ALL gas and oil wells, as well as coal mines and landfills, capture methane and sell it. What is wrong with that? OH, Obama wanted to get rid of these businesses so we need to block them. OK.
The problem is that in some areas, the Bakken for instance, the pipelines aren't there to carry the gas to gas plants that also aren't yet there.
In the fifty years of the (very rural) Bakken area development there had never been enough gas to justify the expense of building far-flung plants and pipelines.
During this last boom there was enough gas and demand to prompt gas line expansion and for some gas plants to start up too.
But now prices are down again, and everybody is operating on a shoestring, and not as much is being done.
This EPA rule is immensely harmful to the industry there, as it makes it very difficult to drill profitably, 'cause you have to move the gas as well as the oil, or pay large fines.
IIRC correctly the U.S. Senate just voted on a bill to ease gas flaring restrictions...it was shepherded by North Dakota's John Hoeven, who is not an imposing or even impressive figure.
Come the vote in the Senate and John McCain jumped the aisle to eff his party and especially Hoeven, North Dakota and the oil industry in general...no doubt in exchange for a fat payoff somewhere.
Hoeven wandered around for a day or two whimpering that he didn't understand...the understatement of the decade.
p.s. I'm not an engineer or and expert. This is my general understanding of the situation. Just yesterday I was talking with a friend who is in the middle of it and he mentioned a couple plants that were started but never came to be.