Wolf Administration advances proposed emission limits on thousands of oil and gas sites

Rachel McDevitt

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I report on energy and the environment for StateImpact Pennsylvania at WITF.

My work focuses on responses and solutions to climate change in the state legislature and communities around the state. I trace my interest in these issues back to my time as a Girl Scout and this episode of Rocko’s Modern Life.

I look forward to winter just for the chance to ski a few times each season. I try to keep myself from doom-scrolling on my phone by keeping my hands busy knitting and learning to play the piano.

I grew up in Cambria County, Pa. and graduated from Temple University. I started at WITF just after Christmas in 2014.

Joe Ulrich / WITF

State environmental regulators want to curb climate-damaging methane leaks from natural gas infrastructure, like this compressor station, which are used to move gas from wells through pipelines.

June 1, 2020 | 5:50 AM

The Wolf Administration wants to limit emissions from thousands of oil and natural gas sites in Pennsylvania.

It’s proposing a new regulation that would require better monitoring and control of emissions at existing oil and gas wells, including those that use hydraulic fracturing, and related sites. Companies would have to install equipment to stop emissions from escaping, and inspect sites for leaks every three months.

The rule targets volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which contribute to ozone and can affect people’s health.

The Department of Environmental Protection says the tighter controls will also prevent leaks of the potent greenhouse gas methane.

“Pennsylvania is one of the leading states in the country as far as natural gas production, and to have existing source regulations in Pennsylvania will make a dent into the climate pollution problem that we have in this country,” said Dan Grossman, senior director of state advocacy for the Environmental Defense Fund.

He added that enactment in Pennsylvania could spur adoption of methane standards in other oil and gas producing states. Colorado, California, and Ohio have created similar rules.

Grossman said Pennsylvania’s rule could be improved by limiting exemptions for wells that produce a small amount of oil or gas, which he said are still important sources of emissions.

Only 303 of the 71,229 conventional natural gas wells in Pennsylvania would be covered by the regulation because they fall above a 15 barrel of oil equivalent per production threshold.

The state’s more than 8,400 unconventional natural gas wells in production would be governed by the rule.

DEP estimates show the cost of complying with the rule would be about $35.3 million per year, but could also save the industry about $9.9 million annually by lowering natural gas losses during production.

DEP said it does not anticipate that this proposed rule will have a significant adverse impact on small oil and natural gas operators, because of the exemption.

Industry groups said they’re reviewing the proposed rule and noted their commitment to managing methane and other emissions.

Stephanie Catarino Wissman, executive director of the Associated Petroleum Industries of PA, said increased use of natural gas has brought carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. to generational lows.

Marcellus Shale Coalition president David Spigelmyer said the industry tries to prevent leaks “through new technologies and best practices – such as robust leak detection and repair programs and vapor recovery systems.”

People can read the regulation or submit comments through DEP’s eComment system. DEP will accept comments through Monday, July 27.

Three virtual public hearings on the proposed rule are scheduled for June 23 at 6 p.m., June 24, at 2 p.m. and June 25 at 6 p.m. Instructions for participating can be found here.