Air Quality

Air Quality | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Drillers Have 2 Weeks to Review Complex New Air Pollution Regs
April 18, 2013April 18, 2013

The West Virginia Dept. of Environmental Protection’s Division of Air Quality recently issued a draft document of new and revised regulations for controlling air pollution from oil and gas drilling well sites—and it’s a doozy. At 135 pages long (full copy embedded below), good luck reading, deciphering, and preparing to make intelligent comments on it—all by April 29th! (Railroading?) It appears to MDN the draft regulations are mostly aimed at complying with new rules issued by the federal EPA.

It seemed to us in a cursory glance that the internal combustion engine (in particular) is in the cross hairs…

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Air Quality | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Laurel Mountain Midstream | MarkWest Energy | Regulation

EPA Makes MarkWest, Laurel Mountain an Offer They Couldn’t Refuse
April 17, 2013April 17, 2013

The heavy hand of the federal Environmental Protection Agency continues to insert itself into regulating oil and gas drilling (contrary to the U.S. Constitution that grants that right to the states). The latest example is an “agreement” from two midstream companies–MarkWest Liberty Midstream and Laurel Mountain Midstream–to implement expensive new measures to comply with EPA’s air regulations. Neither MarkWest nor Laurel Mountain have done anything wrong. Neither has had an accident or pumped too much nasty stuff into the air. The EPA wants them to install equipment that will (in their opinion) help prevent an accident or the possibility of too much air pollution in the future.

When the howitzer cannon of the federal EPA is pointed at your head, you nod up and down politely…
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Air Quality | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Westmoreland County

Murrysville, PA Stream Monitoring Group Expands to Air Monitoring
April 5, 2013April 5, 2013

A volunteer group in Westmoreland County called the Murrysville Stream Monitoring Group tests seven local streams once each month, looking for total dissolved solids. They’ve been testing since September of last year. The group was started and is populated by anti-drillers, people opposed to Marcellus Shale drilling. The locations they’ve selected to test are close to active Marcellus well drilling operations. What have they found so far? Nothing. Each stream has passed every test they’ve done—both upstream close to well drilling and downstream away from drilling. Same result—nothing.

Since they aren’t finding anything in the streams, maybe it’s time for the Murrysville Group to turn their attention to the air. And so they have. But monitoring air is expensive, requiring equipment that costs $3,000 per unit. The group wants three units, and they want taxpayers to fund it:

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Air Quality | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

EPA Keeps Messing with Drillers, Tweaks Regulations Yet Again
April 3, 2013April 3, 2013

The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is once again interferring in the states responsibilities to regulate oil and gas drilling. The always excellent ShaleEnergyLawBlog, written by the law firm Babst Calland, notes two recent changes to regulations issued by the EPA dealing with greenhouse gas reporting and storage tanks:

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Air Quality | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

Senators Wants Answers from EPA Nominee about “Crucify Them” Al
March 13, 2013March 13, 2013

The ranking Republican member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, U.S. Sen. David Vitter (Republican from Louisiana), and several of his Senate colleagues, are “demanding answers” from Gina McCarthy, Obama’s choice to head the EPA, over her involvement with the discredited and fired Al “Crucify Them” Armendariz (see EPA Administrator Al Armendariz Resigns over Crucify Comment). Seems a colleague at EPA emailed old Al when he was under fire and Al responded at the time essentially “don’t worry about me” and made mention of Gina McCarthy’s new EPA air pollution rules as “icing on the cake.”

Clearly Armendariz saw McCarthy’s efforts as dovetailing nicely with his own strategy to “crucify” several oil and gas companies as examples to scare the rest of the “villagers” into falling into line. Sick and sleazy. (Armendariz went to work for the Sierra Club after leaving EPA.) Vitter and other Republicans are rightly concerned over the tight relationship between Armendariz and McCarthy—specifically on the matter of Armendariz’s action in outlawing Las Brisas Energy Center (LBEC) in Corpus Christi, Texas—and they want answers. Vitter issued the following press release yesterday:

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Air Quality | Devon Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues

Devon Energy Accuses EPA of “Seriously Flawed Misuse” of Data
March 13, 2013March 13, 2013

Devon Energy sent a letter March 5 to the federal Environmental Protection Agency to inform them that Devon is pulling out of the EPA’s Natural Gas STAR Program—a program aimed at reducing methane emissions. Devon says in the letter that EPA is guilty of “seriously flawed misuse” of the data provided to it by drillers to justify costly regulations and to “taint policy research.” The Devon letter minces no words…

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Air Quality | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Research

NOAA Methane Study from 2011 is Flawed – Final Answer
March 11, 2013March 11, 2013

MDN tries to avoid “inside baseball” stories as much as possible—those stories that are highly technical and involve complex math and science. We avoid them not because they aren’t important—they are. But because readers often don’t have the time to study the issue properly to understand it. When possible, we try to interpret such stories and give you “the bottom line.” This is one of those stories.

In December 2011, the Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR) published a paper by a number of authors associated with NOAA—the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The paper, titled “Hydrocarbon emissions characterization in the Colorado Front Range – A pilot study,” took a close look at natural gas drilling and using some rather complex science, made the bombshell claim that a large amount of methane escapes into the atmosphere during the drilling process. In the parlance of scientists, the issue is called “fugitive emissions.” Those who buy the claims of manmade global warming say methane is a “potent” greenhouse gas—so if a lot of it escapes into the atmosphere, that’s a bad thing. It causes the globe to heat up.

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Air Quality | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research | Statewide PA

PA DEP Report: Counties with Fracking Have More Air Pollution
February 18, 2013February 18, 2013

Last week the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) reported they filed a required every-three-year air pollution study with the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The results? Because of fracking and a change away from burning coal to burning natural gas for electrical power generation, all major forms of air pollution, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds, have gone down—significantly (see “Thank You for Fracking” – Air Pollution Goes Down in PA).

MDN now has a copy of the official numbers filed by the DEP to the EPA (see the files embedded below showing the data). It appears to us there is a “rest of the story” in the DEP’s numbers. While air pollution numbers are extremely positive and have gone down significantly as a statewide average, in counties with a lot of Marcellus Shale drilling, air pollution numbers have gone up. Compared to the levels found in other counties, we’d call it a “significant” increase. Is there cause for concern?

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Air Quality | Bradford County | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Susquehanna County

Air Pollution Goes Up in Some PA Counties from Marcellus Drilling
February 14, 2013February 14, 2013

Yesterday MDN reported the story that air pollution in Pennsylvania overall has gone done significantly from 2008 to 2011 due to the increased use of Marcellus Shale gas now being mined and used (see “Thank You for Fracking” – Air Pollution Goes Down in PA). The reason air pollution has gone down is mainly due to the switch away from burning coal to burning natural gas.

However, closer analysis of the data (MDN has not been able to get a copy of the full report—yet) shows that in PA counties with a lot of shale drilling, certain kinds of air pollution went up during that period even though the state average went down. Why? Mainly because of (we’re guessing) the increased use of diesel engines used in the equipment operating at drill sites and from the large number of trucks coming and going to drill sites. Compressor plant emissions also contribute to the increase.

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Air Quality | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

“Thank You for Fracking” – Air Pollution Goes Down in PA
February 13, 2013February 13, 2013

Because of miracle of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) and the natural gas it generates, and because that abundant new source of natural gas burns cleaner than any other fossil fuel, air pollution in Pennsylvania declined—significantly—from 2008 to 2011. So we tip our hat and say a big, “Thank you for fracking.”

Some of the stats recently reported by PA to the federal EPA in a report on air pollution (required every three years):

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Air Quality | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research | Statewide PA

2 New Studies of Marcellus Drilling’s Impact on PA Air Quality
February 4, 2013February 4, 2013

Marcellus Shale drilling in Pennsylvania was responsible for just a small fraction of PA’s air pollution in 2011 according to newly released data (the first full year of data we have) from the Dept. of Environmental Protection, and from a private study by Rand Corporation (see below). How much did it contribute? PA’s shale gas industry was responsible for about 4% of total air pollution emitted by all industrial facilities in 2011.

Although the overall numbers are low, that’s not to say there aren’t concerns or things to improve…

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Air Quality | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA DEP Finalizes Air Pollution Rules for Drillers & Compressors
February 1, 2013February 1, 2013

The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) yesterday announced final revisions to the “general permit” (GP-5) that governs air emissions for pipeline compressor stations and for drill sites. The new allowable limits, endorsed by the PA drilling industry, are “75 to 90 percent stricter than current limits” and go beyond federal rules according to the DEP.

The new DEP rules will allow the industry to install and use more engines at compressor stations and on the drill pad (engines powered by the natural gas being produced) to encourage the overall reduction in pollution. Here’s the announcement from the DEP:

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Air Quality | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

John Hanger: How the U.S. Cut Carbon Emissions 12% in 5 Years
January 8, 2013January 8, 2013

John Hanger, former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), candidate for the Democrat nomination to run as governor in PA, and MDN’s very first webinar guest (see Webinar Replay: John Hanger on Gas Drilling and Energy Choices), posted his Top Energy Fact of 2012 last Friday on his “Facts of the Day” blog site. And what might his top fact be for all of 2012? The United States has cut carbon emissions from 2007 to 2012 by 12%—while at the same time growing its economy and using more energy.

How is such an incredible feat possible? Glad you asked. John has the answer: shale gas and the miracle of hydraulic fracturing.

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Air Quality | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA DEP to Release Marcellus Drilling Air Emissions Data Soon
January 4, 2013January 4, 2013

In the next few weeks, data on air emissions from Marcellus Shale drilling operations will be made public via the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) website. The data, required by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, has sparked a new idea at the PA DEP.

The DEP intends to also require emissions filings from compressor plants on conventional (non-shale) gas pipelines starting in March…

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Air Quality | Alternative Energy | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

Climate Change Being Used as Excuse for New Law in PA
December 27, 2012December 27, 2012

In 2009, the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Climate Change Advisory Committee released a plan with non-binding recommendations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent statewide by 2020. The move was prompted by a 2008 law passed by the state legislature. (Ever notice “global warming” became “climate change” because the earth isn’t actually warming? … but we digress.) Part of the “recommendations” to reduce carbon dioxide is more use of natural gas. But getting natural gas from the ground tends to increase the release of methane, another so-called greenhouse gas.

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Air Quality | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | New York | Statewide NY

7 States Threaten EPA Lawsuit over Methane Emissions
December 12, 2012December 12, 2012

An out-of-control New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is the ring leader for seven northeastern states who say they plan to sue the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to force the EPA to enforce even stricter air emissions rules (if such a thing is possible) to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas drilling. Earlier this year the EPA introduced far stricter rules that require drillers to install expensive new equipment to trap leaking (so-called “fugitive”) methane—perhaps driving some of them out of business in two years when the new rules are fully implemented.

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