{"id":16159,"date":"2017-08-15T11:50:32","date_gmt":"2017-08-15T15:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=16159"},"modified":"2017-08-15T11:50:55","modified_gmt":"2017-08-15T15:50:55","slug":"methane-standards-are-the-law-of-the-land-its-time-to-stop-litigation-and-start-complying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2017\/08\/15\/methane-standards-are-the-law-of-the-land-its-time-to-stop-litigation-and-start-complying\/","title":{"rendered":"Methane standards are the law of the land; it\u2019s time to stop litigation and start complying"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Let me first make this important point: I\u2019ve met and worked with a lot of folks in the oil and gas industry who are truly dedicated to making their operations as safe and clean as possible \u2013 people who care about the communities they live and work in and who take pride in the reputation of the companies they work for.<\/p>\n

That said, I\u2019ve always rolled my eyes a little when I see companies boast in sustainability reports that they comply with all applicable federal and state laws.\u00a0 Really?\u00a0 Not breaking the law is the high bar you\u2019re shooting for?<\/p>\n

But , as it turns out, one of the nation\u2019s largest oil and gas trade associations is now saying that not only does it oppose common-sense laws requiring companies to reduce their emissions of methane and other harmful air pollution, it\u2019s casting doubt on the extent to which companies should even comply.<\/p>\n

The courts have repeatedly struck down efforts by the Trump administration and industry lobbyists to suspend these pollution standards. \u00a0And these rules are now in full legal effect<\/u>.<\/p>\n

Yet, in last week\u2019s Inside EPA\/Climate, <\/em>Lee Fuller of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) is quoted saying that the court\u2019s rejection of these efforts makes compliance \u201can EPA enforcement issue, and we have had no guidance from EPA on the enforcement process that they will undertake.\u201d<\/p>\n

There should be no confusion here. Compliance is not an enforcement issue. Compliance is a legal obligation. Any company that refuses to meet that obligation is operating outside of the law, regardless of how EPA decides to approach enforcement.<\/p>\n

Cries that companies haven\u2019t had enough time to get ready for these standards also fail to pass the straight-face test.\u00a0 These rules were issued in June 2016 and gave the industry a full year to start taking basic steps to detect and repair leaks \u2013 using cost-effective techniques that were pioneered in the states and which have long been in use by leading oil and gas operators.<\/p>\n

In fact, operators were required to conduct their first leak surveys at well sites and compressor stations by June 3, 2017, several days before<\/em> EPA\u2019s unlawful 90-day suspension of the standards was published. Any company that wasn\u2019t implementing these find-and-fix practices was breaking the law then.\u00a0 And any company that isn\u2019t complying since the court ruled the suspension illegal is violating the law now.<\/p>\n

Some in industry have bemoaned the cost and confusion of \u201cregulatory uncertainty\u201d as the Trump EPA attempts to roll back basic public health and environmental protections and the courts time and time again rule those efforts illegal. Even now, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt \u2013 backed by players who represent industry\u2019s lowest common denominator \u2013 is attempting another delay of the methane rules, this time for two years.<\/p>\n

If the industry is truly worried about regulatory uncertainty, trade groups and the industry lobby should stop litigating against these vital protections, cease sowing doubt about their legal effect and urge Scott Pruitt to abandon his lawless efforts to undermine them. The chaos they bemoan is entirely of their own making.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting that not everyone in industry is playing that game.\u00a0 Leaders aren\u2019t throwing up smoke screens and dodging the issue, they\u2019re moving forward.\u00a0 In fact, both Exxon and Shell confirmed their compliance with the operational requirements of the methane rules even before the 90-day stay had been overturned by the court. That\u2019s the kind of responsible action that\u2019s not only good for communities and the environment, it\u2019s good for business \u2013 in terms of both bottom-line and reputation.<\/p>\n

As I said at the outset, I know a lot of good people in the oil and gas world \u2013 people who don\u2019t like the turn things have taken in D.C. and who know that any short-lived upside will pale against the backlash this industry will face at home and abroad if it\u2019s seen as doing nothing but fighting against the shift to a cleaner, lower-carbon future.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time for leaders in industry to step out from behind the shadows.\u00a0 If the IPAA\u2019s of the world are allowed to speak for everyone, companies that are trying to do the right thing will be tagged as retrograde thinkers right along with them. Instead of proving that they can evolve, adapt and be part of the solutions demanded by and owed to both their host communities and the planet, they\u2019ll be riding a side-car to obsolescence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Let me first make this important point: I\u2019ve met and worked with a lot of folks in the oil and gas industry who are truly dedicated to making their operations as safe and clean as possible \u2013 people who care about the communities they live and work in and who take pride in the reputation …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5630,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55717,693],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-16159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-methane-2","category-natural-gas"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMethane standards are the law of the land; it\u2019s time to stop litigation and start complying - 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\/2017\/08\/15\/methane-standards-are-the-law-of-the-land-its-time-to-stop-litigation-and-start-complying\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Methane standards are the law of the land; 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