The Department of Environmental Quality put forward a smart set of policies to ensure drillers reduced their emissions. Emissions from nearby oil and gas activity produced an uptick in ozone levels – deteriorating local air quality and putting local resident’s health at risk.įortunately state leaders worked fast to fix the problem. In 2011, small, rural Pinedale, Wyoming made national headlines with smog concentrations on par with Los Angeles. This is what the state has done in the UGRB - and it worked. Frequent site inspections are the most straight-forward and effective way to reduce these emissions. According to data reported by the oil and gas producers themselves, leaks are in the top three in Wyoming as sources of emissions of both volatile organic compounds that lead to smog formation and methane, a very potent greenhouse gas. This is a problem we hope the state will quickly solve.Ī growing body of scientific data and empirical evidence demonstrate that equipment malfunctions and poor maintenance are some of the leading causes of emissions from oil and gas sites. Wyoming is now looking at ways to reduce oil and gas emissions statewide and the state’s Air Quality Advisory Board will consider new requirements at a hearing in Cheyenne tomorrow-but frequent inspections to find and fix leaks are completely absent from the proposal. That is what makes the state’s proposal for new statewide oil and gas air quality requirements disappointing. Historically, Wyoming hasn’t waited for federal regulations, it has helped blaze the trail and let others follow. The state was among the first to require measures to limit pollution from newly drilled oil and gas wells (so-called “green completions”) and has been diligent in recent years to create one of the nation’s best leak detection and repair programs in the Upper Green River Basin (UGRB), a portion of the state that had been plagued with unhealthy levels of air pollution. Wyoming has worked to build a reputation as a leader on strong, sensible requirements to limit air pollution from oil and gas development.
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