{"id":13224,"date":"2016-05-20T09:06:25","date_gmt":"2016-05-20T14:06:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=13224"},"modified":"2016-05-20T09:06:25","modified_gmt":"2016-05-20T14:06:25","slug":"regulation-as-a-platform-for-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2016\/05\/20\/regulation-as-a-platform-for-innovation\/","title":{"rendered":"Regulation as a Platform for Innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>To get anything accomplished, you can\u2019t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. One unsung story buried in last week\u2019s release of EPA\u2019s new source methane rules may make good options even better \u2013 driving innovation and offering industry more options to meet the methane challenge<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The new rules target a pervasive problem: methane \u2013 the primary component of natural gas \u2013 leaking throughout the oil and gas value chain. Methane emissions represent a waste of saleable resources, a reputational risk, and a contributor to both poor local air quality and climate change.<\/p>\n

Under the EPA\u2019s framework, oil and gas operators must take steps to minimize \u00a0emissions from new and modified sources \u2013 from finding and fixing equipment leaks to swapping out equipment to reduce methane vented from pneumatic controllers and pumps,.\u00a0Companies in Colorado working to comply with the state\u2019s similar rule have reported that putting similar measures in place are cost-effective, even generating positive returns from selling the captured gas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But what should an agency do when the solutions available now are reasonable but not perfect? Existing strategies don\u2019t monitor all the time\u2014only a few days a year. So leaks and malfunctions can be missed, or leak for months before they are fixed.<\/p>\n

\"MDC-devices-in-field\"<\/a>New technologies\u2013emerging from research labs, startups and mature companies in adjacent sectors \u2013 can help spot leaks at lower cost, including through continuous monitoring. EDF\u2019s Methane Detectors Challenge<\/a> will launch pilots of sensitive, rugged, low-cost continuous methane monitors with oil and gas operators. Due to collaborative partnerships, these innovative technologies are advancing rapidly.<\/p>\n

In a regulated industry like oil and gas, adaptability as technology progresses is key to ensuring operators can use more effective and lower-cost solutions as they become available.\u00a0 That insight led many innovators, forward-thinking oil and gas operators and EDF to call on EPA to include a pathway to innovation in the final rule.<\/span><\/p>\n

Path open \u2013 and process in place \u2013 for emerging technologies<\/strong>
\nWe were delighted to learn that the finalized new source standards offer oil and gas companies \u201cthe opportunity to use emerging, innovative technologies to monitor leaks.\u201d The rule acknowledges that \u201cleak detection technology is undergoing continuous and rapid development and innovation.\u201d As a result, it establishes a process for evaluating any alternative work practice\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>that achieves equal or greater emissions reductions<\/em><\/strong>. The rule also lists criteria for evaluation<\/em><\/strong>\u2014so innovators and operators can get to work pulling together submissions. \u00a0This sets a floor for environmental stewardship, and gives an incentive to do better.<\/p>\n

Any proposed alternative will need to be well tested and should be assessed carefully \u2013 a pathway for innovation is not an invitation to cut corners. But being open to alternative technologies shows faith in ingenuity. The methane experience may also offer lessons for how we approach other environmental challenges. Setting a level playing field and laying out the ground rules will help entrepreneurs and companies work out and deliver the better, faster plays.<\/p>\n

Some old-fashioned industry monoliths may accuse the regulation of being one-size-fits-all.\u00a0 But with the door open to innovation, the appetite from operators is there for more methane solutions. Leading oil and gas companies are already partnering with innovators to take advantage of this opportunity.<\/p>\n

The day will come soon when anyone who sees only one path forward will have chosen to work with blinders on. That choice will cost them, as companies embracing innovation speed past them with efficient, low-cost made-in-America solutions.<\/p>\n

This blog originally appeared on EDF+Business.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To get anything accomplished, you can\u2019t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. One unsung story buried in last week\u2019s release of EPA\u2019s new source methane rules may make good options even better \u2013 driving innovation and offering industry more options to meet the methane challenge. The new rules target a pervasive problem: …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":69765,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55717,693],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-13224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-methane-2","category-natural-gas"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRegulation as a Platform for Innovation - Energy Exchange<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2016\/05\/20\/regulation-as-a-platform-for-innovation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Regulation as a Platform for Innovation - Energy Exchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"To get anything accomplished, you can\u2019t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. 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