General Coverage

 

Pa. Seeks Emissions Reductions From Existing Shale Wells. According to E&E News, “A package of proposed regulations would lower methane and other emission from existing oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania, in Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s second effort to reduce the air impacts of the state’s booming shale drilling industry. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection finalized a permitting system last summer to control emissions from new wells (Energywire, June 8). The move comes as the Trump administration is proposing a rollback on regulations from the oil and gas sector. Pennsylvania is the second-biggest gas-producing state in the country. ‘This is a great step forward,’ said Andrew Williams, director of regulatory and legislative affairs for the Environmental Defense Fund. Colorado already has rules in place for new and existing oil and gas wells, and Wyoming adopted rules for new wells earlier this year (Climatewire, Nov. 30). The proposal is likely to face resistance from the drilling industry and Republicans in the state Legislature who fought against the earlier rules. A spokesman for the Marcellus Shale Coalition, which represents the state’s major gas producers, didn’t respond to a request for comment. Under a proposal that’ll go to a state advisory board Thursday, oil and gas producers would have to take a series of steps, such as checking for leaks with thermal cameras, at existing wells, storage tanks, pumps and other equipment. The goal is to reduce emissions by 95 percent at the highest-polluting sites.” [E&E News, 12/11/18 (=)]

 

Opinion Pieces

 

Op-Ed: Methane Rules Needed To Protect Colorado’s Children. According to an op-ed by Cristal Cisneros in The Pueblo Chieftain, “There’s a certain irony in Colorado hosting the one and only public hearing of the President Donald Trump administration’s proposed re-write of the 2016 Environmental Protection Agency methane rule. Colorado was the first to implement state-level methane regulations on oil and gas production in 2014, a mark not only of Colorado values, but the necessity of protecting the health, safety and taxpayer resources associated with being the sixth-largest oil- and gas-producing state. Governor-elect Jared Polis won on a platform of 100 percent renewable energy because Coloradans understand our sustainability as a state, country and world is contingent upon protecting our environment and people. Unfortunately, the Trump administration and oil and gas industry don’t show the same regard. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas stemming from oil and gas production that, unregulated, significantly contributes to degraded air quality and public health and exacerbates the far-reaching repercussions of climate warming. The 2016 EPA and Bureau of Land Management methane rules required oil and gas companies operating on public lands to implement cost-effective, proven technologies that prevent leaking, venting and flaring of these harmful emissions into the environment. This process further ensures taxpayer resources are properly managed — saving more than $1 billion in wasted natural gas. Seemingly, these commonsense regulations should be supported by an administration whose responsibility it is to prioritize the interests of the American people. Yet, since taking office, the Trump administration has unabashedly shown deference to the oil and gas industry by removing regulations deemed ‘burdensome’ to their profits.” [The Pueblo Chieftain, 12/9/18 (+)]

 

 

 

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