Attorney General Frosh Supports EPA Proposal to Regulate Methane Emissions from the Oil and Natural Gas Sector

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Attorney General Frosh Supports EPA Proposal to Regulate Methane Emissions from the Oil and Natural Gas Sector

BALTIMORE, MD (January 31, 2022) - Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh today joined a multistate coalition in submitting commentsin support of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposal to strengthen regulation of emissions from new, modified, and reconstructed facilities in the oil and natural gas sector, and for the first time, to regulate emissions from existing facilities in this sector. The EPA estimates that the proposed regulations will reduce emissions of methane by 41 million tons, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by 12 million tons, and hazardous air pollutants by 480,000 tons between 2023 and 2035

"Curbing methane emissions from sources in the oil and gas industry is critical to fighting climate change," said Attorney General Frosh. "We're pleased that EPA is finally taking steps to regulate these emissions more aggressively, because we have no time to lose."

Methane is a super pollutant up to 80 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide in its ability to trap heat in the atmosphere. The production, processing, transmission, and storage of oil and natural gas are the largest single industrial source of methane emissions in the U.S. and the second largest industrial source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions behind only power plants. For years, Maryland has urged the EPA to regulate methane emissions from the oil and natural gas sector as a central component in the fight against climate change.

In today's comments, the coalition expresses its strong support for the EPA's proposed rule, and identifies areas where the EPA could build upon the proposal, including:

• Requiring regular monitoring and repair of leaks for all well sites regardless of their production level or potential to emit;
• Expressly prohibiting routine flaring, not just venting, from new and existing oil wells with associated gas;
• Strengthening the rule as necessary to address the excessive environmental burdens imposed on communities located near oil and gas facilities; and
• Adopting guidelines that establish uniform federal requirements to minimize or eliminate emissions from abandoned wells.

www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov

In filing the comments, Attorney General Frosh joins the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, as well as the City of Chicago.

https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/press/2022/013122a.pdf