Watching Government: Addressing inevitable tensions
The session at the Gas Technology Institute's 2016 Methane Emissions Conference in Alexandria, Va., officially was supposed to examine North American policies and regulations. But it eventually revealed the inevitable tensions that result when government regulators start from different points to reach common goals.
"We're at a very critical juncture, not only in states but also nationally and internationally," said Diane X. Burman, a member of New York's Public Service Commission. "As a state regulator, it's important for me to take time and listen to all sides of these issues. We need to be cognizant of how we can help answer the climate question with concrete examples of our successful efforts."
That can't be easy for an agency committed to increasing the number of gas customers in a state where the legislature passed-and the governor signed-a bill that banned hydraulic fracturing. New York's Department of Environmental Conservation denied water permits for a proposed interstate gas pipeline that could reduce customers' bills because a construction crew started cutting down trees too soon.
"We're working to bring more customers to gas as a way to improve their businesses," said Burman. "Our public service mission historically has focused on safety and reliable rates. It's increasingly moving into environmental concerns. Infrastructure investments are a real win for the economy and the environment."
Effective repair and replacement programs are essential, she said. "We have to have ways to use our information and data effectively to promote overall good performance," Burman said. "We can't be afraid of saying that using gas is an important part of this. We have a serious workforce development problem that needs to be addressed.
"I believe gas can play a serious positive role in addressing climate change," she told her audience at the Nov. 1 session.
Colorado's regulatory scope
Timothy Taylor, from Colorado's Department of Public and Health and Environment, noted the state adopted new oil and gas air emissions limits in February 2014 that involve storage tank emissions management, leak detection and repairs (LDAR), and approved instruments for operators to monitor venting and leaking.
"There's a tremendous need to regulate emissions from existing, as well as new, operations," noted a third panelist, Andrew Williams of the Environmental Defense Fund. "Ninety percent of emissions in 2018 will come from pre-2012 sources. If we can control front-end production impacts, we can reduce public concerns over continued use of gas." Combined leak detection and repair and vigorous maintenance programs might work, he said.
Burman took exception to New York's being left off EDA's methane leadership list. "The issue is how to embrace similar goals in constructive ways," she said.
Nick Snow
NICK SNOW covered oil and gas in Washington for more than 30 years. He worked in several capacities for The Oil Daily and was founding editor of Petroleum Finance Week before joining OGJ as its Washington correspondent in September 2005 and becoming its full-time Washington editor in October 2007. He retired from OGJ in January 2020.
