Posted April 18, 2014
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently
released a series of technical white papers about sources of methane emissions
and asked the public to comment on the research to assist in EPA’s efforts to
reduce emissions of methane, according to an article by The Hill available here. The oil and gas journal also reported on the
story here.
The papers, available here,
address ways in which methane may be released into the atmosphere: natural gas
compressors, hydraulic fracturing, leaks during natural gas production,
removing liquids in gas wells, and pneumatic devised used in the gas industry.
“The white papers will help EPA solidify our
understanding of certain sources of methane and volatile organic compound (VOC)
emissions in the oil and natural gas industry,” said the EPA in a
statement. “Methane is a potent
greenhouse gas, and VOCs contribute to the formation of harmful ground-level
ozone (smog).”
The papers follow the administration’s unveiling of its
strategy to reduce methane emissions as part of President Obama’s efforts to
reduce climate change.
EPA has not said it will write new regulations to curb
methane emissions, but the papers indicate that the agency may be a step closer
to considering new regulations.
For more information on climate change, please visit
the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
