America’s Natural Gas Alliance leadership criticizes proposed EPA methane regulations

Responding to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) newly proposed standards for methane emissions from new oil and natural gas equipment and facilities,  America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) called the regulations unnecessary on Tuesday.

"Since 2005, natural gas producers have cut methane emissions 38 percent, while increasing production 35 percent," Marty Durbin, the president and CEO of the ANGA, said. "This impressive record has been accomplished through existing regulations and industry innovation. With further improvements certain to continue, we believe new and additional regulations are both unnecessary and counterproductive. This rule is simply not the best way to achieve our shared goal of methane emissions reductions.”

The EPA’s regulations aim to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40 to 45 percent of the 2012 levels by 2025, a major step in President Obama’s Climate Action Plan as the industry is a major contributor to methane pollution and it is an extremely potent greenhouse gas.

"Natural gas producers will continue reducing methane emissions regardless of this proposal," Durbin said. "Not only do we have an incentive to capture methane – it is the product we sell – but our track record of efficiency improvement and innovation are what drives the environmental, economic and energy security benefits of natural gas. A collaborative approach will bring greater reductions more quickly than new and unnecessary regulation."