Dec 7, 2015 IPAA, AXPC: Costly Methane Regulations Unnecessary, Will Hurt American Oil and Gas Revolution
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) and American Exploration & Petroleum Council (AXPC) submitted formal comments last Friday to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding its proposal for additional methane regulations on oil and natural gas wells. The national trade associations identified a number of concerns with EPA’s burdensome regulatory proposal that would hurt the important progress the oil and natural gas industry has made in reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
“Despite incredible growth in oil and natural gas production in the United States, emissions of methane – a primary component of clean-burning natural gas – have steadily declined and will continue to fall,” said Lee Fuller, IPAA Executive Vice President. “Thanks to industry leadership and investment in new technologies, America’s shale energy producers have cut methane emissions by 13.3 percent since 2008 while increasing production by a staggering 400 percent. Since emissions are already significantly decreasing, it raises concerns as to what the underlying target is for the EPA.
“Like all Americans, the U.S. oil and natural gas industry cares about the air we breathe and the planet in which we live. That is why we have taken voluntary actions to reduce air pollution and responsibly curb methane emissions from production activities. Industry innovations have led to safer, more efficient, and less-costly production, allowing Americans to enjoy the environmental, economic, and energy security benefits of this abundant natural resource.
“The last thing American businesses need is more duplicative and costly regulations that would ultimately increase energy costs for American families. EPA’s proposal will impose a costly and complicated regulatory program on thousands of U.S. businesses for few environmental benefits, impeding our nation’s ability to produce affordable energy to heat our homes and hurting the industry’s progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” concluded Fuller.
It is important to note, emissions from all U.S. oil and natural gas production activities are slightly more than one percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. With methane emissions continuing to diminish, the Obama Administration is achieving its stated methane reduction objectives through voluntary programs and current regulations that are already in place.
Read IPAA and AXPC’s entire comments HERE.
IPAA also joined comments submitted by Western Energy Alliance relating to defining minor sources on tribal lands, which can be viewed HERE.
Learn more about IPAA’s efforts to reduce methane emissions HERE.
About the Independent Petroleum Association of America
The Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) is the leading, national upstream trade association representing thousands of independent oil and natural gas producers and service companies across the United States. Independent producers develop 90 percent of the nation’s oil and natural gas wells. These companies account for 54 percent of America’s oil production, 85 percent of its natural gas production, and support over 2.1 million American jobs. Learn more about IPAA by visiting www.ipaa.org and following @IPAAaccess on Twitter.
