EPA Announces Methane Rule Reconsideration, Adding to List of Obama-Era Rules Under Review
On April 18, 2017, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt announced that the EPA will convene a proceeding for reconsideration of certain elements of the 2016 rule establishing methane emissions standards for the oil and gas industry, reports Bracewell’s Energy Legal Blog.
Authors Whit Swift and Brittany Pemberton write that the Methane Rule applies to oil and gas facilities for which construction, modification, or reconstruction started after September 18, 2015.
“In particular, EPA will reconsider elements of the fugitive emissions monitoring and repair requirements of 40 C.F.R. § 60.5397a, including the inclusion of low-production wells, and the NSPS Subpart OOOOa provisions relating to approvals for an alternative means of compliance,” they explain.