EPA recognizes utilities for greenhouse gas emissions reduction
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized American natural gas utilities on Thursday for ongoing efforts to reduce emissions and released a final ruling for its new oil and natural gas industry standards.
The new ruling does not include regulations regarding distribution infrastructure or assets managed and operated by local distribution utilities. Natural gas utilities have steadily worked to decrease emissions reductions, with April’s 2016 EPA Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks finding that emissions from local distribution systems fell by 74 percent between 1990 and 2014.
The American Gas Association said that local utilities would continue to upgrade and modernize the nation’s pipeline network to enhance safety and continue fighting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many U.S.-based natural gas utilities also self-organize independent emissions reduction programs, which include initiatives to use more modern plastic pipeline materials and to upgrade metering and regulating stations.
The natural gas utility sector accounts for six percent of total methane emissions. U.S.-based natural gas utilities continue to further emissions reductions, including the adoption of a specific rate mechanism to assist with the replacement and modernization of pipeline infrastructure. According to the EPA, the AGA’s Natural Gas STAR program has reduced emissions by 46.2 billion cubic feet since 1993.
