Natural gas and oil operators may see more stringent reporting requirements under a proposal issued Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to “improve the accuracy of reported emissions,” including methane.
The proposed rules would amend reporting requirements under EPA’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting program. The revisions, if approved, would apply to “petroleum and natural gas facilities” covered by the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, which included a methane emissions reduction program.
“The Biden-Harris administration is moving urgently to reduce climate pollution, and EPA is working to ensure science leads the way with the most accurate emissions data possible,” said EPA’s Joseph Goffman, principal deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation.
Last November when methane reduction regulations were being touted by the administration, officials said curbing methane leaks from oil and natural gas operations would, among other things, increase supplies pledged to Europe.
Leveraging Technology
The proposed revisions, he said, “will leverage advancements in technology to produce high-quality, long-term data for emitters, contributing important insights into emissions trends as we work to protect people and the planet.”
The amendments proposed to subpart W of the GHG reporting program would address gaps in the total methane emissions reported by facilities by adding several new covered sources. These would include “other large release events,” which would capture “abnormal methane emission events that are not fully accounted for using existing methods.”
Under Subpart W, owners or operators of facilities that contain natural gas and petroleum systems, and which emit 25,000 metric tons/year or more of GHGs, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalents, report data to EPA. Subpart W consists of emission sources in 10 segments of the energy industry.
The amendments also would add new or revised methods to improve the accuracy of reported emissions data for methane and other GHGs, as well as incorporate additional empirical data. They include the use of technologies such as remote sensing for quantifying emissions from other large release events. In addition, operators would be required to collect data “at a more granular level to improve verification and transparency of the data collected.”
EPA is proposing determinations to establish whether data submitted would be entitled to confidential treatment.
Most revisions would take effect in January 2025. Most of the changes would be required beginning with reports prepared for the 2025 reporting year and submitted by March 31, 2026.The proposals are to be published in the Federal Register, with public comments taken by EPA for about two months.
