Needed: Both state and federal methane standards

From Bloomberg:

The Environmental Protection Agency is considering rules that would force oil and gas producers to cut methane emissions, its chief said, stepping up efforts to curb the most potent greenhouse gas linked to climate change.

Gina McCarthy, the EPA administrator, told investors at a New York forum today the agency will decide this year whether to issue regulations mandating emission cuts, or to rely only on voluntary steps.

“We are looking at what are the most cost-effective regulatory and-or voluntary efforts that can take a chunk out of methane in the system,” McCarthy said. “It’s not just for climate, but for air quality” reasons, she said.

Methane is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide, and climate advocates have said that without curbs on emissions from the oil and gas industry, President Barack Obama will fall short of his goal to cut climate-change emissions. The administration’s plan to cut methane, issued in March, said the EPA would decide whether to regulate the industry. Rules, if issued, would take effect in 2016, the government said.

The threat of methane emissions from natural gas drilling has been coming into clearer focus this year, and there is palpable momentum for action. Some states aren't waiting for the feds.

• In February, Colorado enacted a comprehensive suite of methane regulations for oil and gas operators – including an LDAR (leak detection and repair) program that requires the bulk of operators to perform quarterly inspections and even requires monthly inspections at the largest well sites.
• Right next door, Ohio recently revised its general permit that requires drillers of unconventional oil and gas wells to conduct quarterly LDAR inspections – in contrast to the once-a-year requirement for Pennsylvania well operators to qualify under Exemption 38.
• Last fall, Wyoming also implemented a new presumptive BACT requirement that includes quarterly inspections and repairs.

So, what is Pennsylvania doing? Not nearly enough. Pennsylvania's methane rules fall far short of what other states are doing -- and what is needed. The potential for federal methane rules is a big step in the right direction. This strategy has the potential to deliver the federal regulatory oversight that is needed to complement state efforts and make sure that all of the oil and gas industry meets basic, common-sense standards to deploy readily available technologies. But federal rules don't replace the need for state action. As the fastest growing natural gas producer in the country -- and a state that emits nearly a full percent of the world's greenhouses gases -- Pennsylvania can't afford to wait.

Andrew Sharp is PennFuture's director of outreach and is based in Philadelphia. He tweets @RexBainbridge.