Clean Air Council Responds to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Proposal to Remove Direct Regulation of Methane from Oil and Gas Standards
[August 29, 2019] PHILADELPHIA, PA – Today, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler proposed removing direct regulation of methane as a pollutant from the 2016 New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for the oil and natural gas source category, codified at 40 CFR part 60, subpart OOOOa. Developed after years of stakeholder input and based on the successful implementation of regulatory controls for similar sources at the state level, these landmark federal standards were enacted over three years ago to finally hold the oil and gas industry accountable for its rising methane emissions, which are a major contributor to climate change.
Click here to make an official comment against this dangerous regression.
Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas and is responsible for a quarter of the global warming that we experience today. Pennsylvania is currently the second-largest natural gas producing state, just behind Texas, and the oil and gas sector in the commonwealth dumps more than 500,000 tons of methane into the atmosphere each year.
Joseph Otis Minott, Esq., Executive Director and Chief Counsel of Clean Air Council, issued the following statement:
“This reckless rollback is one of the most radical attempts to harm the environment by this administration to date. The 2016 NSPS has been effective and delivering emission reduction benefits for all Americans for years now. There is no evidence to support EPA substantially weakening these critical protections, which the agency acknowledges will increase dangerous air pollution. Methane is a significant greenhouse gas, and recent studies show that methane emissions from the oil and gas industry are actually much higher than EPA estimated in 2016. This unjustified and unlawful effort by the Trump administration highlights the need for Governor Wolf and other state leaders to implement strong, commonsense methane controls without delay.”
Contact: Russell Zerbo, Clean Air Council, 215-567-4004 ext. 130, rzerbo@cleanair.org
