The PIOGA Press
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released several proposals seeking to reduce greenhouse gas and other emissions from the oil and natural gas sector. EPA’s proposals are part of the Obama administration’s larger Climate Action Plan, a goal of which is to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industry by 40 to 45 percent from 2012 levels by 2025. EPA also stated that the proposals seek to protect public health by seeking to reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a precursor to ground-level ozone formation. In addition to these emissions related measures, EPA also released a proposed rule intended to clarify single source determinations for entities within the oil and gas industry. Together, these proposals will likely affect a wide array of facilities within the industry, including natural gas well sites, processing plants, compressor stations and storage facilities.