U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently finalized long-anticipated new regulations that will require oil and gas operators in Texas and elsewhere in the nation to reduce how much methane escapes from oilfield equipment. The regulations were announced Dec. 2 at the 28th annual United Nations climate summit in Dubai. The EPA exercised its authority under the Clean Air Act to issue rules intended to minimize the routine flaring of natural gas and the size and frequency of gas leaks. The EPA will require state implementation plans to cover both existing and new operations.
EPA first issued the proposed rule in 2021 with supplements in November 2022 followed by industry comments in early 2023. EPA administrator Michael Regan said, “This is historic news for our climate, for our future and for our children. The standards today, while ambitious, are common sense.”
Texas Tribune reported the new rules were modeled in part after methane regulations in New Mexico and Colorado. New Mexico governor Michelle Lujan Grisham told the Tribune, “Having federal rules means that my border states and the very same companies who are operating in both states will adhere to the same standards.”
Jason Modglin, president of Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, said, “Burdensome federal requirements on producers are unnecessary.” And Luke Metzger, executive director of Environment Texas, added, “Texas needs strong federal regulations to reduce methane emissions maybe more than any other state.”