Usually if they are not capturing the gas it is because the economics just don’t work out.

On the extraction side, it’s usually a matter of not being close enough to pipelines/infrastructure.

On the refinery side, flare systems typically connect a variety of units and are there for emergency venting during a process upset. Because the gases come from multiple product streams, they need to be separated to be sold or are just used as fuel for the furnaces. In either case, for the time and effort, refiners are usually better off trying to reduce system upsets.

It is a shame what we do to our environment and it is wasteful.

Source: used to work for a refiner.