December 2015 Vol. 242, No. 12

Features

EPA Proposes New Methane Regulations for Midstream Operations

The federal Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed new regulations for methane and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from the oil and gas sector that place time-consuming and expensive new requirements on midstream businesses. These regulations would not apply to pipelines, but would require ongoing emissions monitoring and equipment replacements at compressor stations and natural gas processing plants built, “modified,” or “reconstructed” after Sept. 18, 2015. While the proposal references a 95% reduction in emissions, it does not require that these plants and compressor stations reduce overall emissions by that amount. Instead, they must put c

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