Colorado releases draft rules that may make it the first state to regulate methane from oil and gas drilling.

On November 18, Colorado released proposed rules that would directly regulate the detection and reduction of methane emissions associated with oil and gas drilling.  The rules are basically expanding the current provisions for reducing emissions that apply only in "non-attainment areas" to all areas that have been shown to have air quality worse than the national average.

The Air Quality Control Commission will be seeking additional input as the process continues but it appears that they already have the support of petroleum companies in the state.  Several petroleum companies operating in Colorado released a joint statement in support the proposal, saying that it is a “The process and increased accountability established by the proposal will provide transparency and build public trust.”

Click here for the Colorado Governor’s announcement of the rules.

Click here for the proposal and related information. 

Written by Joseph Negaard 

November 22, 2013

Study Finds Hydraulic Fracturing Wells Emit Less Methane than EPA Estimates

A study from the University of Texas at Austin studied 190 onshore natural gas sites and concluded that well completion activities in hydraulically fractured wells emitted 97% less methane than the EPA's 2011 national emission estimates, which were released in April 2013.  The EPA estimated that 81 Mg of methane was emitted per completion flowback, while the study found that on average 1.7 Mg of methane was emitted per completion flowback studied.  While the well completion activities were found to emit less methane, the study found that total methane emissions from natural gas production was comparable to the most recent EPA estimates.  The study further stated this disparity could be explained by emissions detected from the pneumatic controllers and equipment leaks, which the study found had emitted at least 30% more methane than the EPA estimates indicated.

The study noted a potential flaw, which is that several of the samples included in the study were small and should be examined with caution when extrapolating the results to larger populations.

The study may be found at: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/09/10/1304880110.full.pdf+html