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Review of Article: "EPA’s Actions to Reduce Methane Emissions from the Oil and Natural Gas Industry: Final Rules and Draft Information Collection Request"

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On May 12, 2016 the EPA released three final rules targeting "emissions of methane, smogforming volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and toxic air pollutants such as benzene from new, reconstructed and modified oil and gas sources". These rules fall under the "Climate Action Plan: Strategy to Reduce Methane Emissions and the Clean Air Act". The rules are intended to "cut methane emissions from the large and complex oil and natural gas industry and keep the Administration on track to achieve its goal of cutting methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40 to 45 percent from 2012 levels by 2025." One requirement of the rule is for "low production wells to monitor leaks, rather than exempting them as proposed" and for "compressor stations to monitor leaks four times a year, rather than twice a year.

 

Source

"EPA’s Actions to Reduce Methane Emissions from the Oil and Natural Gas Industry: Final Rules and Draft Information Collection Request." (n.d.): n. pag. EPA. EPA. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.