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On its way to becoming a final rule, an odd thing happened to an EPA proposal that would withdraw requirements promulgated by the Obama administration—major players in the affected sector itself have come out against the proposal and requested that the Agency preserve the provisions it wants to eliminate.
In October 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1057, a bill specifically intended to change the primary mission of the state Division of Oil , Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) from increasing production of oil and natural gas (O&G) in the state to ensuring that the regulation of O&G provides protection of public health […]
Hearing loss is prevalent in workers in the mining and oil and gas extraction sectors, researchers have found. At least 25% of workers in many industries and as much as 30% of workers in others had hearing loss, according to a recently published report.
Seven years after the Obama administration issued major amendments to Clean Air Act (CAA) New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) affecting the oil and gas (O&G) sector and 3 years after it issued another set of amendments, the EPA is proposing to rescind substantial parts of both actions. First, the Agency wants to remove O&G storage […]
After acquiring new information, the EPA has decided not to revise its June 28, 2016, Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Oil and Gas Extraction Point Source Category. That action finalized pretreatment standards for unconventional oil and gas (UOG) facilities based in part on the Agency’s understanding that no such facilities in the country […]
In a document required by a judicial settlement with environmental and community groups, the EPA says it is not necessary at this time to revise federal regulations governing the management of exploration, development, and production (E&P) wastes generated by the oil and gas (O&G) industry.
The EPA has launched its voluntary Oil and Natural Gas Exploration and Production New Owner Audit Program (O&G Audit Program), a descendent of the Agency’s various self-audit policies designed specifically for the upstream O&G sector.
In September 2018, the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) promulgated amendments that eliminated or replaced most provisions of the Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation final rule the Obama administration issued in 2016. However, several 2016 provisions were retained with modifications, including a provision relating to measuring and […]
The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for development of oil and gas (O&G) resources on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) Coastal Plain. The DEIS is required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and would cover leasing only; actual development would be […]
Several federal lawmakers continue to press the EPA for information about the impact of its proposal (October 15, 2018, Federal Register (FR)) to weaken the Obama administration’s New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) governing air emissions from the oil and natural gas (O&G) sector (June 3, 2016, FR).