IPAA files lawsuit, formal comments regarding new EPA methane regulations
Following final decisions by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the regulation of methane emissions, the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) has issued strong criticism of the new rule, filing suit in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and submitting a formal request to the EPA for administrative reconsideration of the new regulations.
“Independent producers were forced to file these two actions against EPA because we found significant elements of the agency’s new regulatory scheme to be excessive, uneconomic, and threatening to the long-term production of oil and natural gas in the United States without corresponding environmental benefits,” IPAA Executive Vice President Lee Fuller said. “After more than a year of trying to communicate industry’s concerns to the EPA on the economic burdens associated with this new rule, during an already economically challenging time for the industry, independent producers were compelled to pursue legal pathways since the final rule omits flexibility for smaller, independent companies.”
The IPAA, along with a coalition group, also penned formal comments on the new rule in response to an information-gathering request by the EPA, in which the IPAA urged the EPA to consider the full situation facing U.S. oil and gas, taking into consideration all data currently available.
“This new, aggressive proposal targets vulnerable independent producers, while EPA has provided no concrete data that justifies the risks of shutting down significant amounts of American oil and natural gas production,” Fuller said.
