https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2019/05/15/new-federal-bill-targets-methane-gas-leaks
New Federal Bill Targets Methane Gas Leaks
Posted By Mary Kuhlman, Ohio News Service on Wed, May 15, 2019
COLUMBUS, Ohio - New federal legislation could help Ohio in its efforts
to reduce methane gas leaks from natural-gas facilities.
Methane is considered one of the most potent greenhouse gases, and
nearly $2 billion worth of methane is lost each year at oil and gas well
sites across the country. The Methane Waste Prevention Act of 2019,
introduced Tuesday by Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado, would direct the
Environmental Protection Agency to keep 2016 methane rules in place for
new and updated oil and gas facilities.
Isaac Brown, executive director of the Center for Methane Emission
Solutions, said that would benefit Ohio, which already has gas-leak
detection and repair requirements.
"The hodgepodge of rules across the country really creates a very
difficult regulatory environment for states, and for oil and gas
producers and industry," he said, "because it's hard for states to
operate in a vacuum when you're talking about an industry that's
national in scale."
The bill instructs the U.S. Interior Department to reinstate and update
protections to reduce methane leaks, venting, and flaring of natural gas
from public lands. It also would block an EPA proposal to roll back the
2016 methane standards, which Brown contended are working.
"In states where there are established rules," he said, "we are seeing
both oil and gas production increasing while methane emissions are being
cut dramatically."
Brown noted that Ohio's 2016 methane standards are widely supported by
environmental, labor and public health groups, as well as many elected
leaders.
"One of the things we're seeing in states like Ohio is, this is not a
partisan issue," he said. "Governors on both sides of the aisle are
recognizing that we need to do something about methane emissions, but
that it's also important that methane is regulated in a manner that is
cost-effective."
Ohio is part of the Utica and Marcellus shale region, which is expected
to supply nearly half of all U.S. natural gas by 2040. More than a dozen
methane-mitigation companies in the state produce and install
leak-reduction technologies.
The bill's text is online at naturalresources.house.gov.
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