PINEDALE, Wyo. (AP) - A state regulatory panel has approved new regulations aimed at limiting emissions from existing natural gas facilities in southwest Wyoming, ending years of debate over how to address pollution from the operations in the Pinedale area.
The unanimous vote Tuesday by the Environmental Quality Council makes Wyoming the third state to regulate emissions from existing oil and gas operations. Previously, emissions have generally been regulated from permits on new and modified facilities in Wyoming, the Casper Star-Tribune reported (https://bit.ly/1F1DJno ).
The Upper Green River Basin was deemed out of compliance with federal health standards in 2012 after ozone levels exceeded the safety limit on several occasions between 2008 and 2011.
The proposal, which would take effect in January 2017, must now go to Gov. Matt Mead for final approval.
A Mead spokesman said the governor commended the EQC’s “good work” and noted he would look over the plan after the attorney general had completed a legal review.
Tuesday’s vote was greeted with widespread praise from environmentalists, industry representatives and local residents. All said they were relieved to see rule-making that officially began in 2013 but had been debated much longer finally reach a conclusion.
“It is a huge step forward,” said Dave Hohl, a Pinedale resident who has argued for more stringent limits on emissions from gas operations.
The Environmental Defense Fund called the rule’s passage a landmark.
“Existing sources are responsible for the vast majority of pollution from oil and gas operations across the country,” said Elizabeth Paranhos, an attorney at the Environmental Defense Fund.
However, there are few federal requirements that limit pollution from existing sources, she said. Wyoming joins Colorado and California as the only oil- and gas-producing states to regulate emissions from existing sources, she said.
John Robitaille, Petroleum Association of Wyoming vice president, said the rule was evidence of industry’s efforts to reduce its emissions.
“No one wants to be in nonattainment,” he said. “The sooner we get out of it, the better off we all are.”
Yet even as the rule was being hailed from all sides, questions remained.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed lowering the existing ozone standard from 75 parts per billion to somewhere between 65 parts per billion and 70 parts per billion. The agency also took public comment on lowering the standard to 60 parts per billion.
Ozone has been linked with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Organizations like the American Lung Association have argued the federal limit should be as low as 60 parts per billion.
But the proposal has cast doubt over whether Wyoming’s current efforts will be sufficient to bring the Upper Green River Basin back into compliance with federal regulations. The region has not exceeded the current threshold in recent years but might not meet a lower standard.
“That’s the $64,000 question,” said Paul Ulrich, regulatory director at Jonah Energy, a natural gas company. “If and when EPA lowers the standard, how will DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) and operators respond?”
In addition, Tuesday’s vote applies only to existing operations in the Upper Green River Basin, which encompasses Sublette County and parts of Lincoln and Sweetwater counties.
Environmentalists have urged state regulators to consider expanding the rule statewide.
State regulators said it is premature to talk about expanding the regulations to other parts of the state, and industry representatives have called the expansion of the rules to other parts of the state unnecessary because they say high ozone levels in the Pinedale area are the result of unique meteorological and geographic considerations.
Even if the EPA does not lower its ozone standard, it will be years before the Upper Green River Basin will be deemed in compliance with federal health standards. The region must complete what is effectively a 12-year probationary period, where the rolling three-year ozone average does not exceed the federal threshold.
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Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, https://www.trib.com
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