{"id":6766,"date":"2014-04-10T09:26:57","date_gmt":"2014-04-10T14:26:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=6766"},"modified":"2014-04-10T13:27:36","modified_gmt":"2014-04-10T18:27:36","slug":"leading-states-tackling-fugitive-emissions-problem-head-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2014\/04\/10\/leading-states-tackling-fugitive-emissions-problem-head-on\/","title":{"rendered":"Leading States Tackling Fugitive Emissions Problem Head-On"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"states\"<\/a>You see something once, and it might just be an anomaly. See it twice, maybe coincidence. But when you see it a third time \u2013 that\u2019s a pattern. A trend.<\/p>\n

With Ohio\u2019s move last week<\/a> to control \u201cfugitive\u201d emissions from oil and gas operations, that\u2019s what we\u2019re seeing \u2013 a rapid trend from leading states to control this major source of air and climate pollution. The Ohio rules come on heels of similar actions in Wyoming<\/a> and Colorado<\/a>. Together, these rules signal a fast-growing recognition that fugitive emissions are a problem that has to be dealt with, and that there are cost-effective ways<\/a> we can slash these emissions today.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Through the cracks<\/b><\/p>\n

Fugitive emissions are unintentional leaks (as opposed to combustion emissions or intentional releases, which have their own set of solutions). Leaks can happen across the natural gas<\/a> supply chain when valves, connectors and other equipment wear out and fail or when maintenance and operations aren\u2019t up to snuff.<\/p>\n

Even though individual leaks might be small, when you add them up, fugitives can be an enormous source of smog-forming VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and methane<\/a>, a highly potent greenhouse gas. In fact, emerging data point to the likelihood that fugitive emissions are an even bigger problem than previously thought. Last year EDF and nine of the nation\u2019s biggest oil and gas operators participated in a University of Texas study<\/a> that measured methane emissions at oil and gas well sites. One of the study\u2019s key findings is that fugitive emissions are 38 times higher than U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates.<\/p>\n

And yet, until recently, fugitive emissions have been pretty much ignored in state and federal regulations. When EPA overhauled its rules for oil and gas air pollution<\/a> in 2012, huge strides were taken to reduce pollution coming from a number of key sources. But the agency punted on well-site fugitives.<\/p>\n

States step up<\/b><\/p>\n

Now, states are stepping into the breach. Wyoming \u2013 long a leader in taking on oil and gas air pollution issues \u2013 was first out of the gate. Last fall Governor Mead\u2019s administration adopted new rules requiring oil and gas operators to implement leak detection and repair programs (LDAR) in the Upper Green River Basin \u2013 an area where intensive oil and gas development has led to unhealthy spikes in ozone pollution<\/a>.\u00a0 Under the program, operators will scan their well-sites on a quarterly basis with infrared cameras or other hydrocarbon detection instruments and make timely repairs.<\/p>\n

Colorado came next \u2013 in February adopting the nation\u2019s first, and still only, regulations that directly target methane pollution<\/a> from oil and gas operations (so far, other state and federal rules have targeted VOCs and other air pollutants, with methane reductions coming as a corollary benefit). Real credit goes to Governor Hickenlooper for putting methane regulation on the agenda and not backing off in the face of opposition from the just-say-no crowd.<\/p>\n

The new Colorado rules represent the boldest, most comprehensive oil and gas air regulations<\/a> in the country \u2013 addressing a wide range of pollution sources from both new and existing wells statewide. Colorado\u2019s LDAR program is tough but pragmatic. Well sites with the greatest pollution potential have to scan for leaks on a monthly basis. The largest tranche of wells \u2013 those in the middle range \u2013 must do quarterly inspections. The smallest wells have annual inspection requirements.<\/p>\n

Ohio joined the ranks last week with a policy that will require operators to find and fix leaks at new unconventional oil and gas wells on a quarterly basis. This comes as part of a rapid string of new rules and legislative efforts Governor Kasich has advanced to get ahead of the game, so Ohio is prepared for development of the still-nascent Utica Shale.<\/p>\n

Unusual suspects<\/b><\/p>\n

One of the first things you notice is that these groundbreaking rules aren\u2019t coming from the Birkenstock states. Wyoming, Colorado and Ohio are all major oil-and-gas producers with long histories of depending on energy production as a cornerstone of their state economies. And these governors, two Republicans and one Democrat, are anything but anti-industry. They welcome oil and gas development and what it can mean for jobs and their state economies.<\/p>\n

These governors also know that development can\u2019t come at the expense of communities, public health and the environment. So, they\u2019ve been leaders in charting a path forward \u2013 and they\u2019ve been rewarded for their efforts by support not only from environmental organizations and local communities, but from leaders within industry too.<\/p>\n

The Wyoming rules were supported by a multi-stakeholder task force that included key operators in the state. In Colorado, the framework for the rules was developed through negotiations<\/a> between EDF and three of the state\u2019s most important oil and gas companies \u2013 Noble, Anadarko and Encana. And the recently adopted Ohio rules have been met with a positive response from the Ohio Oil and Gas Association.<\/p>\n

Onward and upward<\/b><\/p>\n

No doubt, there are some who will always fight progress on oil and gas oversight \u2013 just as there are those who will always throw rocks, content to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. That\u2019s just how the game is played. But the Wyoming, Colorado and Ohio examples show that when officials step up and show true leadership, the majority in the middle will come with them.<\/p>\n

There are lessons here for the White House, which just two weeks ago announced a strategy<\/a> for addressing methane from oil and gas operations and other major sources. The Obama Administration took an important step with this announcement and rightly noted that, for the effort to be successful, federal officials need to flesh out their strategy in cooperation with the states. We couldn\u2019t agree more \u2013 and we can think of three states that would be pretty good places for that dialogue to start.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You see something once, and it might just be an anomaly. See it twice, maybe coincidence. But when you see it a third time \u2013 that\u2019s a pattern. A trend. With Ohio\u2019s move last week to control \u201cfugitive\u201d emissions from oil and gas operations, that\u2019s what we\u2019re seeing \u2013 a rapid trend from leading states …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5630,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8015,34795,55717,693,28800,42183],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-6766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-air-quality","category-colorado","category-methane-2","category-natural-gas","category-ohio","category-wyoming"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLeading States Tackling Fugitive Emissions Problem Head-On - 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\/2014\/04\/10\/leading-states-tackling-fugitive-emissions-problem-head-on\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Leading States Tackling Fugitive Emissions Problem Head-On - Energy Exchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"You see something once, and it might just be an anomaly. 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