EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy today signed off on final amendments to the agency’s 2012 new source performance standards for the oil and gas sector. The rule amends issues related to “vessel provisions and well completion provisions,” the rule says. The EPA’s oil and gas sector rule goes into effect on Jan. 1.
“The updates do not change the emission reductions in the rules, which include the first federal air standards for natural gas wells that are hydraulically fractured, along with requirements for storage tanks and other equipment,” the EPA said in a fact sheet. The amendments provide more details about “requirements of handling of gas and liquids during well completion operations” and clarify some provisions about detecting leaks, and update several definitions, the fact sheet said.
The agency is also clarifying requirements for storage tanks, “adding a third alternative for the work practice options for controlling emissions from rod packing in compressors,” and “updating its definition of the official responsible for certifying that annual reports on well completions are true, accurate and complete.”
The rule: http://www.epa.gov/airquality/oilandgas/pdfs/20141219fr.pdf
The fact sheet: http://www.epa.gov/airquality/oilandgas/pdfs/20141219fs.pdf
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