“While some industry leaders are already implementing aspects of the proposed rules, the number of oil and gas companies that aggressively control their methane emissions must increase”, the philanthropy said.
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The new regulations are in line with president Barack Obama’s Climate Action Plan which targets reduction in methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40% to 45% by 2025, as compared to 2012 levels.
“The oil and gas industry is leading the charge in reducing methane”, Gerard said.
Heitkamp has long worked for bipartisan, commonsense solutions to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And in the more intense gas-producing states like Pennsylvania, that carve-out is really going to limit the benefits. Brnovich said the EPA’s power to regulate air pollution doesn’t give it the legal authority to force the states to increase the use of renewable energy.
But there’s a major problem: Methane, the primary constituent in natural gas, is an extremely potent greenhouse agent when it escapes from wells or pipelines without being burned.
The methane rule follows a landmark regulation Obama finalized earlier this month to cut carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants by 32 percent.
However, Brownstein adds that the EPA proposal would only apply to new or modified gathering facilities.
“Instead of conspiring with extreme environmental interests, the EPA should stop punishing cooperative industry stakeholders and start partnering with them in their current efforts to capture methane in a responsible manner”, Smith concluded.
The Environmental Protection Agency scheduled a noon announcement to unveil the proposal.
Some people associated with the oil and gas industry find these new regulations to be unnecessary. If, after serious study, the EPA is confident that the government will reach its methane goal without a broader crackdown, so much the better.
But on the same day, the agency also quietly issued what it calls “proposed clarification of air permitting rules” – strict new policies that, if adopted, will likely make energy production more expensive where it’s not impossible.
“I applaud the White House for its commitment to address climate change and improve air quality by introducing cost effective measures to reduce methane gas leaks in the oil and gas industry”.
The statement reflects Mitchell’s belief that energy companies always have to “take it one step above”, and “operators have to push technology beyond where we are now”, Hastings said.
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The proposed standards include a pathway for addressing existing sources in non-attainment areas, through control technique guidelines (CTGs) to get at volatile organic compounds, an ozone precursor.
