EPA Proposes New Emissions Rules
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
29 July 2011
By Don Hopey
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.
Last month, PennFuture filed a federal lawsuit over air pollution
issues related to multiple well, pipeline, tank and compressor station
emissions at Ultra Resources Inc. operations in Tioga and Potter
counties.
"We've got an air pollution problem in the Pittsburgh region that is
intractable, quite deadly and a serious threat to public health," Ms.
Jarrett said. "As more wells are developed in the Marcellus, air
emissions will become more and more of a problem."
Clean Air Watch president Frank O'Donnell praised the EPA's approach.
"For an agency that's frequently derided as 'job-killing,' this
proposal looks very promising," Mr. O'Donnell said. "It would not only
reduce air pollution but would save industry money. It doesn't solve
all the issues associated with fracking, but at least it would reduce
the air pollution problems caused by it."
But Kathryn Klaber, president and executive director of the Marcellus
Shale Coalition, a pro-drilling lobbying and advocacy organization
representing the industry, said the proposed rules are "unworkable" and
could hurt industry productivity.
"As this process moves forward, we look forward to providing EPA with
fact-based information regarding our best practices and
industry-leading operations, which are ensuring that the region's air
quality is not impacted," Ms. Klaber said. "In fact, Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection studies have determined that
Marcellus activities do not present any 'air-related health issues.' "
The department has conducted three short-term air quality studies near
Marcellus well drilling operations in the past eight months and found
no public health concerns, although critics have pointed out the
department did not look at the cumulative impact of the pollutants.
Katy Gresh, a state DEP spokeswoman, said the department was made aware
of the proposed rules Thursday afternoon and is reviewing them.
The EPA's proposed rules would set new source standards for the oil and
gas industry that would cut emissions of volatile organic compounds by
nearly a quarter and cut VOC emissions from new and modified
hydraulically fractured gas wells by almost 95 percent. The rules also
propose to limit sulfur dioxide and air toxics emissions from wells,
gas transmission lines and storage facilities.
The industry could achieve those emissions reductions by using existing
technologies, including the 150 cost-effective technologies that are
promoted by the EPA's 20-year-old Natural Gas STAR Program.
Some of those technologies include use of no-flare or contained-flare
well completions rather than open flaring of wells; use of no-bleed or
low-bleed valves to reduce gas leakage; and installation of closed loop
systems on condensate tanks and compressor stations to capture VOCs and
other waste gas emissions, including methane, that are now vented into
the air.
"The proposal will protect communities by reducing exposures to
pollutants that can cause cancer, such as benzene, and preventing 'bad
air days' caused by ozone smog," said Amy Mall, senior policy analyst
at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "This proposal will finally
address some significant pollution problems that have gone unaddressed
for far too long."
The agency's first-ever proposed rules addressing fracking operations
also recognize "some of the inherent health risks associated with this
method of natural gas extraction," the council said in its news release.
Don Hopey: dhopey@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1983.