EPA proposes new emissions rules
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Spurred by the ballooning development of Marcellus Shale and other shale gas plays in the South and West, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new emissions standards to control and reduce air toxins emitted from oil- and gas-drilling operations.
The EPA said the proposed rules, the first changes in decades, would reduce air pollution from well drilling, leaking pipes, storage tanks and compressor stations and could be achieved using existing fugitive gas collection technologies already employed by several companies and required by some states, but not Pennsylvania.
"Reducing these emissions will help cut toxic pollution that can increase cancer risks and smog that can cause asthma attacks and premature death -- all while giving these operators additional product to bring to market," said Gina McCarthy, EPA assistant administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation. She was referring to the companies' ability to collect and sell gas that currently escapes into the air.
Environmental and public health organizations nationwide and in Pennsylvania voiced general support while the drilling industry opposed the proposal, which was mandated by a court-ordered consent decree. Many were cautious, however, because some details were not available Thursday afternoon from the EPA. The EPA must finalize the rules by Feb. 28, 2012.
Before that happens, the agency will hold three public hearings in the Pittsburgh, Dallas and Denver areas. Dates of the hearings were not announced but will be set soon, according to the EPA.
The proposed rules are "a move in the right direction but don't go far enough to address aggregate pollution emissions from multiple drilling operations," said Jan Jarrett, president and chief executive officer for Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future, a statewide organization active on Marcellus Shale issues.
First Published July 29, 2011 12:00 am
