Posted on 08/23/2015 6:29:30 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
In an attempt to curb methane emissions from oil and gas development, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed the nation's first regulations on emissions of that gas. Compared to 2012 levels, the EPA aims to reduce the nation's oil and gas sector methane output by up to 30% by 2025, according to a release.
The regulations target methane and smog-forming volatile organic compounds, which are produced by oil and gas drilling operations. They also aim to reduce emissions from new and modified facilities that collect, transport and store oil and gas. The proposal follows 2012 rules, which limit toxic pollutant emissions and VOCs produced by extracting natural gas through hydraulic fracturing, as this article in Nature noted.
However, with these new proposals, President Barack Obama has a more ambitious goal of reducing the sector's methane output by 40-45% by 2025. The Obama administration will continue to seek opportunities to cut methane emissions, said Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Air and Radiation, who also explained that last week, for example, the EPA proposed rules that are intended to curb the release of methane from landfills, the article noted.
This new proposal set forth by the EPA was released the same day that a recent study suggested that the U.S. natural gas sector emits substantially more methane than previously thought. In their study, it was estimated that gathering, processing and distributing natural gas releases 2.4 million tonnes of methane each year. Their research was published in Environmental Science and Technology.
In that study, researchers used tracer gases to monitor methane emissions at 114 natural-gas gathering facilities and 16 processing plants, as the report noted.
"The issue really is existing sources," Mark Brownstein, said in the article. "It's clear that there's a need to do more." Brownstein is vice-president of climate and energy at the Environmental Defense Fund, an advocacy group that funded the study along with industry partners.
However, Brownstein adds that the EPA proposal would only apply to new or modified gathering facilities. This excludes many sites that are now operating, as the article noted.
That means cow farts. No more beef for the proletariat. Time to eat our peas.
does not matter. We will either be completely gone by then or reverse all this crap.
any reduction in EPA methane output is welcome... I suggest they fire everyone and shut the whole thing down
Get rid of politicians. Problem fixed.
Problem solved in a year
Trump/Cruz
LOL!
...That means cow farts. No more beef for the proletariat. Time to eat our peas...
That’s right. You’ve seen the “Visualize whirrled peas” bumper sticker, right?
DISMANTLE the E.P.A. before 2020.
Have some vision, CONgre$$ (for the low information members)...
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
:)
“In an attempt to curb methane emissions from oil and gas development”
In an attempt to curb oil and gas development,
There, now we have the truth.
This crap is really getting tiresome.
If we get the Presidency one of the first thing to do is put the EPA out of business. Fire them all. Then set up a select committee to reverse most of the total crap this former agencies regulations.
If they REALLY believed in cutting methane emissions to save the planet, they would mail everyone on the planet a bottle of BeanO every month!
If EPA reduces CO2 in the atmosphere as the atmosper and oceans are cooling fairly rapidly then some of the CO2 in the atmosphere will dissolve in the oceans and the Plant food will be artificially decreased just as it is being naturally decreased. First food prices will rise way beyond inflation and then famine in parts of the world that haven’t experienced unpolitically induced famine for many decades.
I love to hear the screams of liberals, it feels like victory!
REAL American citizens aim to reduce the EPA to zero in 2017.
Shut down the EPA NOW!!!
You can thank Nixon for EPA.
I suppose it makes sense to just close all of the factories and power plants and live the great Medieval time period all over again.
The EPA wants to destroy America. Seriously - america’s enemies could not come up with better long-term strategies to sap the USA’s power and wealth
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