{ "id": "R42986", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "R", "number": "R42986", "active": true, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov, EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source_dir": "crsreports.congress.gov", "title": "Methane and Other Air Pollution Issues in Natural Gas Systems", "retrieved": "2020-10-13T04:03:23.907114", "id": "R42986_29_2020-09-17", "formats": [ { "filename": "files/2020-09-17_R42986_83f8fda952836534a02d4e1b0d01277ff5ad4ae1.pdf", "format": "PDF", "url": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R42986/29", "sha1": "83f8fda952836534a02d4e1b0d01277ff5ad4ae1" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/2020-09-17_R42986_83f8fda952836534a02d4e1b0d01277ff5ad4ae1.html" } ], "date": "2020-09-17", "summary": null, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov", "typeId": "R", "active": true, "sourceLink": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/details?prodcode=R42986", "type": "CRS Report" }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 614763, "date": "2020-01-24", "retrieved": "2020-01-24T23:02:24.812770", "title": "Methane and Other Air Pollution Issues in Natural Gas Systems", "summary": "Natural Gas Systems and Air Pollution\nCongressional interest in U.S. energy policy has often focused on ways through which the United States could secure more economical, reliable, and cleaner fossil fuel resources both domestically and internationally. Recent expansion in natural gas production, primarily as a result of new or improved technologies (e.g., hydraulic fracturing, directional drilling) used on unconventional resources (e.g., shale, tight sands, and coalbed methane) has made natural gas an increasingly significant component in the U.S. energy supply. This expansion, however, has prompted questions about the potential impacts of natural gas systems on human health and the environment, including impacts on air quality. \nThe natural gas supply chain contributes to air pollution in several ways, including (1) the leaking, venting, and combustion of natural gas in the course of production operations; and (2) the combustion of other fossil fuel resources or other emissions during associated operations. Emission sources include pad, road, and pipeline construction; well drilling, completion, and flowback activities; and gas processing and transmission equipment such as controllers, compressors, dehydrators, pipes, and storage vessels. Pollutants include, most prominently, methane (i.e., the principal component of natural gas) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)\u2014of which the natural gas industry is one of the highest-emitting industrial sectors in the United States\u2014as well as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and various forms of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).\nFederal Air Standards for the Sector\nUnder the Obama Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated air standards for several source categories in the crude oil and natural gas sector on August 16, 2012. These standards revise previously existing rules and promulgate new ones to regulate emissions of VOCs, SO2, and HAPs from many production and processing activities that had never before been covered by federal standards (including, most notably, VOC controls on new hydraulically fractured natural gas wells). In an extension of these regulations, and in conjunction with the Obama Administration\u2019s Climate Action Plan, EPA promulgated additional rules on June 3, 2016, \u201cto set standards for methane and VOC emissions from new and modified oil and gas production sources, and natural gas processing and transmission sources\u201d not covered by the 2012 rule. Further, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), promulgated a \u201cWaste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation\u201d rule on November 18, 2016, to target natural gas emissions on federal and Indian lands as a potential waste of public resources and loss of royalty revenue.\nIn a direct response to the Obama-era standards, and in line with his campaign promises, President Trump signed Executive Order 13783 on March 28, 2017. The order\u2014entitled \u201cPromoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth\u201d\u2014requires agencies to review existing regulations and \u201cappropriately suspend, revise, or rescind those that unduly burden\u201d domestic energy production and use. Section 7 of the order specifically directs the EPA Administrator and the Secretary of the Interior to review several regulations related to domestic oil and gas development, including EPA\u2019s 2016 methane standards and BLM\u2019s 2016 waste prevention rule. Both agencies have since proposed rulemakings to revise or rescind requirements of the rules. BLM finalized its revisions on September 28, 2018. EPA proposed its revisions on September 24, 2019.\nScope and Purpose of This Report\nThis report provides information on the natural gas industry and the types and sources of air pollutants in the sector. It examines the role of the federal government in regulating these emissions, including the provisions in the Clean Air Act and other statutes, and EPA\u2019s and other agencies\u2019 regulatory activities. It concludes with a brief discussion of a number of issues under debate, including\ndefining the roles of industry and local, state, and federal governments;\nestablishing comprehensive emissions data;\ndetermining the proper control of pollutants and sources; \nunderstanding the human health and environmental impacts of emissions; and\nestimating the costs of pollution abatement.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42986", "sha1": "cff11ef8215554a4ec90d2a67e366f60a793369b", "filename": "files/20200124_R42986_cff11ef8215554a4ec90d2a67e366f60a793369b.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42986_files&id=/1.png": "files/20200124_R42986_images_f5ce96360bfd97a60b92b3fd6fbe7b8c7844acf8.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42986_files&id=/0.png": "files/20200124_R42986_images_30ffa592c0a13a2172615747b72521e72571b68b.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42986", "sha1": "6caec687dcc719dc2381f29c97ca1d8ed80a0298", "filename": "files/20200124_R42986_6caec687dcc719dc2381f29c97ca1d8ed80a0298.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4750, "name": "Air Quality" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4812, "name": "Fossil Energy" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 587269, "date": "2018-11-05", "retrieved": "2019-12-20T20:41:25.459982", "title": "Methane and Other Air Pollution Issues in Natural Gas Systems", "summary": "Natural Gas Systems and Air Pollution\nCongressional interest in U.S. energy policy has often focused on ways through which the United States could secure more economical, reliable, and cleaner fossil fuel resources both domestically and internationally. Recent expansion in natural gas production, primarily as a result of new or improved technologies (e.g., hydraulic fracturing, directional drilling) used on unconventional resources (e.g., shale, tight sands, and coalbed methane) has made natural gas an increasingly significant component in the U.S. energy supply. This expansion, however, has prompted questions about the potential impacts of natural gas systems on human health and the environment, including impacts on air quality. \nThe natural gas supply chain contributes to air pollution in several ways, including (1) the leaking, venting, and combustion of natural gas in the course of production operations; and (2) the combustion of other fossil fuel resources or other emissions during associated operations. Emission sources include pad, road, and pipeline construction; well drilling, completion, and flowback activities; and gas processing and transmission equipment such as controllers, compressors, dehydrators, pipes, and storage vessels. Pollutants include, most prominently, methane (i.e., the principal component of natural gas) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)\u2014of which the natural gas industry is one of the highest-emitting industrial sectors in the United States\u2014as well as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and various forms of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).\nFederal Air Standards for the Sector\nUnder the Obama Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated air standards for several source categories in the crude oil and natural gas sector on August 16, 2012. These standards revise previously existing rules and promulgate new ones to regulate emissions of VOCs, SO2, and HAPs from many production and processing activities that had never before been covered by federal standards (including, most notably, VOC controls on new hydraulically fractured natural gas wells). In an extension of these regulations, and in conjunction with the Obama Administration\u2019s Climate Action Plan, EPA promulgated additional rules on June 3, 2016, \u201cto set standards for methane and VOC emissions from new and modified oil and gas production sources, and natural gas processing and transmission sources\u201d not covered by the 2012 rule. Further, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), promulgated a \u201cWaste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation\u201d rule on November 18, 2016, to target natural gas emissions on federal and Indian lands as a potential waste of public resources and loss of royalty revenue.\nIn a direct response to the Obama-era standards, and in line with his campaign promises, President Trump signed Executive Order 13783 on March 28, 2017. The order\u2014entitled \u201cPromoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth\u201d\u2014requires agencies to review existing regulations and \u201cappropriately suspend, revise, or rescind those that unduly burden\u201d domestic energy production and use. Section 7 of the order specifically directs the EPA Administrator and the Secretary of the Interior to review several regulations related to domestic oil and gas development, including EPA\u2019s 2016 methane standards and BLM\u2019s 2016 waste prevention rule. In June 2017, both EPA and BLM announced plans to postpone the compliance dates for certain sections of the standards, pursuant to the Clean Air Act and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), while the agencies work through the reconsideration process. On July 3, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated EPA\u2019s administrative stay of the 2016 methane standards. On October 4, 2017, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled against BLM\u2019s delay. Both agencies have since proposed rulemakings to revise or rescind requirements of the rules. BLM finalized its revisions on September 28, 2018.\nScope and Purpose of This Report\nThis report provides information on the natural gas industry and the types and sources of air pollutants in the sector. It examines the role of the federal government in regulating these emissions, including the provisions in the Clean Air Act and other statutes, and EPA\u2019s and other agencies\u2019 regulatory activities. It concludes with a brief discussion of a number of issues under debate, including\ndefining the roles of industry and local, state, and federal governments;\nestablishing comprehensive emissions data;\ndetermining the proper control of pollutants and sources; \nunderstanding the human health and environmental impacts of emissions; and\nestimating the costs of pollution abatement.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42986", "sha1": "a670f05f546c9451ebb597ef10cbbe72afdb8a2f", "filename": "files/20181105_R42986_a670f05f546c9451ebb597ef10cbbe72afdb8a2f.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42986_files&id=/1.png": "files/20181105_R42986_images_f5ce96360bfd97a60b92b3fd6fbe7b8c7844acf8.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42986_files&id=/0.png": "files/20181105_R42986_images_30ffa592c0a13a2172615747b72521e72571b68b.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42986", "sha1": "ae63867a206b828158758448a00a2f5b72ba86d8", "filename": "files/20181105_R42986_ae63867a206b828158758448a00a2f5b72ba86d8.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4750, "name": "Air Quality" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4812, "name": "Fossil Energy" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 584026, "date": "2018-08-23", "retrieved": "2018-08-27T15:03:58.916744", "title": "Methane and Other Air Pollution Issues in Natural Gas Systems", "summary": "Natural Gas Systems and Air Pollution\nCongressional interest in U.S. energy policy has often focused on ways through which the United States could secure more economical, reliable, and cleaner fossil fuel resources both domestically and internationally. Recent expansion in natural gas production, primarily as a result of new or improved technologies (e.g., hydraulic fracturing, directional drilling) used on unconventional resources (e.g., shale, tight sands, and coalbed methane) has made natural gas an increasingly significant component in the U.S. energy supply. This expansion, however, has prompted questions about the potential impacts of natural gas systems on human health and the environment, including impacts on air quality. \nThe natural gas supply chain contributes to air pollution in several ways, including (1) the leaking, venting, and combustion of natural gas in the course of production operations; and (2) the combustion of other fossil fuel resources or other emissions during associated operations. Emission sources include pad, road, and pipeline construction; well drilling, completion, and flowback activities; and gas processing and transmission equipment such as controllers, compressors, dehydrators, pipes, and storage vessels. Pollutants include, most prominently, methane (i.e., the principal component of natural gas) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)\u2014of which the natural gas industry is one of the highest-emitting industrial sectors in the United States\u2014as well as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and various forms of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).\nFederal Air Standards for the Sector\nUnder the Obama Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated air standards for several source categories in the crude oil and natural gas sector on August 16, 2012. These standards revise previously existing rules and promulgate new ones to regulate emissions of VOCs, SO2, and HAPs from many production and processing activities that had never before been covered by federal standards (including, most notably, VOC controls on new hydraulically fractured natural gas wells). In an extension of these regulations, and in conjunction with the Obama Administration\u2019s Climate Action Plan, EPA promulgated additional rules on June 3, 2016, \u201cto set standards for methane and VOC emissions from new and modified oil and gas production sources, and natural gas processing and transmission sources\u201d not covered by the 2012 rule. Further, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), promulgated a \u201cWaste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation\u201d rule on November 18, 2016, to target natural gas emissions on federal and Indian lands as a potential waste of public resources and loss of royalty revenue.\nIn a direct response to the Obama-era standards, and in line with his campaign promises, President Trump signed Executive Order 13783 on March 28, 2017. The order\u2014entitled \u201cPromoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth\u201d\u2014requires agencies to review existing regulations and \u201cappropriately suspend, revise, or rescind those that unduly burden\u201d domestic energy production and use. Section 7 of the order specifically directs the EPA Administrator and the Secretary of the Interior to review several regulations related to domestic oil and gas development, including EPA\u2019s 2016 methane standards and BLM\u2019s 2016 waste prevention rule. In June 2017, both EPA and BLM announced plans to postpone the compliance dates for certain sections of the standards, pursuant to the Clean Air Act and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), while the agencies work through the reconsideration process. On July 3, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated EPA\u2019s administrative stay of the 2016 methane standards. On October 4, 2017, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled against BLM\u2019s delay. Both agencies have since proposed rulemakings to revise certain requirements of the rules.\nScope and Purpose of This Report\nThis report provides information on the natural gas industry and the types and sources of air pollutants in the sector. It examines the role of the federal government in regulating these emissions, including the provisions in the Clean Air Act and other statutes, and EPA\u2019s and other agencies\u2019 regulatory activities. It concludes with a brief discussion of a number of issues under debate, including\ndefining the roles of industry and local, state, and federal governments;\nestablishing comprehensive emissions data;\ndetermining the proper control of pollutants and sources; \nunderstanding the human health and environmental impacts of emissions; and\nestimating the costs of pollution abatement.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42986", "sha1": "83fb61312807fd5782740c75ac4a2c76be488c84", "filename": "files/20180823_R42986_83fb61312807fd5782740c75ac4a2c76be488c84.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42986_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180823_R42986_images_30ffa592c0a13a2172615747b72521e72571b68b.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42986_files&id=/1.png": "files/20180823_R42986_images_f5ce96360bfd97a60b92b3fd6fbe7b8c7844acf8.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42986", "sha1": "51c9f59db61efda15e86030be1d6e40c0094e876", "filename": "files/20180823_R42986_51c9f59db61efda15e86030be1d6e40c0094e876.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4750, "name": "Air Quality" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4812, "name": "Fossil Energy" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 579136, "date": "2018-03-12", "retrieved": "2018-05-10T11:08:19.194977", "title": "Methane and Other Air Pollution Issues in Natural Gas Systems", "summary": "Natural Gas Systems and Air Pollution\nCongressional interest in U.S. energy policy has often focused on ways through which the United States could secure more economical, reliable, and cleaner fossil fuel resources both domestically and internationally. Recent expansion in natural gas production, primarily as a result of new or improved technologies (e.g., hydraulic fracturing, directional drilling) used on unconventional resources (e.g., shale, tight sands, and coalbed methane) has made natural gas an increasingly significant component in the U.S. energy supply. This expansion, however, has prompted questions about the potential impacts of natural gas systems on human health and the environment, including impacts on air quality. \nThe natural gas supply chain contributes to air pollution in several ways, including (1) the leaking, venting, and combustion of natural gas in the course of production operations; and (2) the combustion of other fossil fuel resources or other emissions during associated operations. Emission sources include pad, road, and pipeline construction; well drilling, completion, and flowback activities; and gas processing and transmission equipment such as controllers, compressors, dehydrators, pipes, and storage vessels. Pollutants include, most prominently, methane (i.e., the principal component of natural gas) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)\u2014of which the natural gas industry is one of the highest-emitting industrial sectors in the United States\u2014as well as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and various forms of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).\nFederal Air Standards for the Sector\nUnder the Obama Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated air standards for several source categories in the crude oil and natural gas sector on August 16, 2012. These standards revise previously existing rules and promulgate new ones to regulate emissions of VOCs, SO2, and HAPs from many production and processing activities that had never before been covered by federal standards (including, most notably, VOC controls on new hydraulically fractured natural gas wells). In an extension of these regulations, and in conjunction with the Obama Administration\u2019s Climate Action Plan, EPA promulgated additional rules on June 3, 2016, \u201cto set standards for methane and VOC emissions from new and modified oil and gas production sources, and natural gas processing and transmission sources\u201d not covered by the 2012 rule. Further, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), promulgated a \u201cWaste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation\u201d rule on November 18, 2016, to target natural gas emissions on federal and Indian lands as a potential waste of public resources and loss of royalty revenue.\nIn a direct response to the Obama-era standards, and in line with his campaign promises, President Trump signed Executive Order 13783 on March 28, 2017. The order\u2014entitled \u201cPromoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth\u201d\u2014requires agencies to review existing regulations and \u201cappropriately suspend, revise, or rescind those that unduly burden\u201d domestic energy production and use. Section 7 of the order specifically directs the EPA Administrator and the Secretary of the Interior to review several regulations related to domestic oil and gas development, including EPA\u2019s 2016 methane standards and BLM\u2019s 2016 waste prevention rule. In June 2017, both EPA and BLM announced plans to postpone the compliance dates for certain sections of the standards, pursuant to the Clean Air Act and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), while the agencies work through the reconsideration process. On July 3, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated EPA\u2019s administrative stay of the 2016 methane standards. On October 4, 2017, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled against BLM\u2019s delay. Both agencies have since proposed rulemakings to postpone, revise, or rescind certain requirements of the rules.\nScope and Purpose of This Report\nThis report provides information on the natural gas industry and the types and sources of air pollutants in the sector. It examines the role of the federal government in regulating these emissions, including the provisions in the Clean Air Act and other statutes, and EPA\u2019s and other agencies\u2019 regulatory activities. It concludes with a brief discussion of a number of issues under debate, including\ndefining the roles of industry and local, state, and federal governments;\nestablishing comprehensive emissions data;\ndetermining the proper control of pollutants and sources; \nunderstanding the human health and environmental impacts of emissions; and\nestimating the costs of pollution abatement.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42986", "sha1": "e37d519402e55f041717e733f035f857ed956fa1", "filename": "files/20180312_R42986_e37d519402e55f041717e733f035f857ed956fa1.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42986_files&id=/1.png": "files/20180312_R42986_images_f5ce96360bfd97a60b92b3fd6fbe7b8c7844acf8.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42986_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180312_R42986_images_5213d6e3a18ef81335fa8b66497375dd22058b50.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42986", "sha1": "4da76460aff6ea0fe831f75d3961cf8bedf20a80", "filename": "files/20180312_R42986_4da76460aff6ea0fe831f75d3961cf8bedf20a80.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4750, "name": "Air Quality" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4812, "name": "Fossil Energy" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 578828, "date": "2018-03-01", "retrieved": "2018-03-09T00:04:56.858088", "title": "Methane and Other Air Pollution Issues in Natural Gas Systems", "summary": "Natural Gas Systems and Air Pollution\nCongressional interest in U.S. energy policy has often focused on ways through which the United States could secure more economical, reliable, and cleaner fossil fuel resources both domestically and internationally. Recent expansion in natural gas production, primarily as a result of new or improved technologies (e.g., hydraulic fracturing, directional drilling) used on unconventional resources (e.g., shale, tight sands, and coalbed methane) has made natural gas an increasingly significant component in the U.S. energy supply. This expansion, however, has prompted questions about the potential impacts of natural gas systems on human health and the environment, including impacts on air quality. \nThe natural gas supply chain contributes to air pollution in several ways, including (1) the leaking, venting, and combustion of natural gas in the course of production operations; and (2) the combustion of other fossil fuel resources or other emissions during associated operations. Emission sources include pad, road, and pipeline construction; well drilling, completion, and flowback activities; and gas processing and transmission equipment such as controllers, compressors, dehydrators, pipes, and storage vessels. Pollutants include, most prominently, methane (i.e., the principal component of natural gas) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)\u2014of which the natural gas industry is one of the highest-emitting industrial sectors in the United States\u2014as well as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and various forms of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).\nFederal Air Standards for the Sector\nUnder the Obama Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated air standards for several source categories in the crude oil and natural gas sector on August 16, 2012. These standards revise previously existing rules and promulgate new ones to regulate emissions of VOCs, SO2, and HAPs from many production and processing activities that had never before been covered by federal standards (including, most notably, VOC controls on new hydraulically fractured natural gas wells). In an extension of these regulations, and in conjunction with the Obama Administration\u2019s Climate Action Plan, EPA promulgated additional rules on June 3, 2016, \u201cto set standards for methane and VOC emissions from new and modified oil and gas production sources, and natural gas processing and transmission sources\u201d not covered by the 2012 rule. Further, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), promulgated a \u201cWaste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation\u201d rule on November 18, 2016, to target natural gas emissions on federal and Indian lands as a potential waste of public resources and loss of royalty revenue.\nIn a direct response to the Obama-era standards, and in line with his campaign promises, President Trump signed Executive Order 13783 on March 28, 2017. The order\u2014entitled \u201cPromoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth\u201d\u2014requires agencies to review existing regulations and \u201cappropriately suspend, revise, or rescind those that unduly burden\u201d domestic energy production and use. Section 7 of the order specifically directs the EPA Administrator and the Secretary of the Interior to review several regulations related to domestic oil and gas development, including EPA\u2019s 2016 methane standards and BLM\u2019s 2016 waste prevention rule. In June 2017, both EPA and BLM announced plans to postpone the compliance dates for certain sections of the standards, pursuant to the Clean Air Act and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), while the agencies work through the reconsideration process. On July 3, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated EPA\u2019s administrative stay of the 2016 methane standards. On October 4, 2017, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled against BLM\u2019s delay. Both agencies have since proposed rulemakings to postpone and/or rescind certain requirements of the rules.\nScope and Purpose of This Report\nThis report provides information on the natural gas industry and the types and sources of air pollutants in the sector. It examines the role of the federal government in regulating these emissions, including the provisions in the Clean Air Act and other statutes, and EPA\u2019s and other agencies\u2019 regulatory activities. It concludes with a brief discussion of a number of issues under debate, including\ndefining the roles of industry and local, state, and federal governments;\nestablishing comprehensive emissions data;\ndetermining the proper control of pollutants and sources; \nunderstanding the human health and environmental impacts of emissions; and\nestimating the costs of pollution abatement.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42986", "sha1": "f5e1e4efcf69310b9b5603da12dd486cd719a6d5", "filename": "files/20180301_R42986_f5e1e4efcf69310b9b5603da12dd486cd719a6d5.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42986_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180301_R42986_images_5213d6e3a18ef81335fa8b66497375dd22058b50.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42986_files&id=/1.png": "files/20180301_R42986_images_f5ce96360bfd97a60b92b3fd6fbe7b8c7844acf8.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42986", "sha1": "6d8084d3a606166a23e9542d8e68e75756563cb1", "filename": "files/20180301_R42986_6d8084d3a606166a23e9542d8e68e75756563cb1.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4750, "name": "Air Quality" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4812, "name": "Fossil Energy" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 578446, "date": "2018-02-15", "retrieved": "2018-02-21T14:04:25.739242", "title": "Methane and Other Air Pollution Issues in Natural Gas Systems", "summary": "Natural Gas Systems and Air Pollution\nCongressional interest in U.S. energy policy has often focused on ways through which the United States could secure more economical, reliable, and cleaner fossil fuel resources both domestically and internationally. Recent expansion in natural gas production, primarily as a result of new or improved technologies (e.g., hydraulic fracturing, directional drilling) used on unconventional resources (e.g., shale, tight sands, and coalbed methane) has made natural gas an increasingly significant component in the U.S. energy supply. This expansion, however, has prompted questions about the potential impacts of natural gas systems on human health and the environment, including impacts on air quality. \nThe natural gas supply chain contributes to air pollution in several ways, including (1) the leaking, venting, and combustion of natural gas in the course of production operations; and (2) the combustion of other fossil fuel resources or other emissions during associated operations. Emission sources include pad, road, and pipeline construction; well drilling, completion, and flowback activities; and gas processing and transmission equipment such as controllers, compressors, dehydrators, pipes, and storage vessels. Pollutants include, most prominently, methane (i.e., the principal component of natural gas) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)\u2014of which the natural gas industry is one of the highest-emitting industrial sectors in the United States\u2014as well as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and various forms of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).\nFederal Air Standards for the Sector\nUnder the Obama Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated air standards for several source categories in the crude oil and natural gas sector on August 16, 2012. These standards revise previously existing rules and promulgate new ones to regulate emissions of VOCs, SO2, and HAPs from many production and processing activities that had never before been covered by federal standards (including, most notably, VOC controls on new hydraulically fractured natural gas wells). In an extension of these regulations, and in conjunction with the Obama Administration\u2019s Climate Action Plan, EPA promulgated additional rules on June 3, 2016, \u201cto set standards for methane and VOC emissions from new and modified oil and gas production sources, and natural gas processing and transmission sources\u201d not covered by the 2012 rule. Further, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), promulgated a \u201cWaste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation\u201d rule on November 18, 2016, to target natural gas emissions on federal and Indian lands as a potential waste of public resources and loss of royalty revenue.\nIn a direct response to the Obama-era standards, and in line with his campaign promises, President Trump signed Executive Order 13783 on March 28, 2017. The order\u2014entitled \u201cPromoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth\u201d\u2014requires agencies to review existing regulations and \u201cappropriately suspend, revise, or rescind those that unduly burden\u201d domestic energy production and use. Section 7 of the order specifically directs the EPA Administrator and the Secretary of the Interior to review several regulations related to domestic oil and gas development, including EPA\u2019s 2016 methane standards and BLM\u2019s 2016 waste prevention rule. In June 2017, both EPA and BLM announced plans to postpone the compliance dates for certain sections of the standards, pursuant to the Clean Air Act and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), while the agencies work through the reconsideration process. On July 3, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated EPA\u2019s administrative stay of the 2016 methane standards. On October 4, 2017, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled against BLM\u2019s delay. Both agencies have since proposed rulemakings to postpone and/or rescind certain requirements of the rules.\nScope and Purpose of This Report\nThis report provides information on the natural gas industry and the types and sources of air pollutants in the sector. It examines the role of the federal government in regulating these emissions, including the provisions in the Clean Air Act and other statutes, and EPA\u2019s and other agencies\u2019 regulatory activities. It concludes with a brief discussion of a number of issues under debate, including:\ndefining the roles of industry and local, state, and federal governments;\nestablishing comprehensive emissions data;\ndetermining the proper control of pollutants and sources; \nunderstanding the human health and environmental impacts of emissions; and\nestimating the costs of pollution abatement.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://crs.gov/Reports/R42986", "sha1": "119383777f38897ff5c0bd100d3710e3484769b2", "filename": "files/20180215_R42986_119383777f38897ff5c0bd100d3710e3484769b2.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42986_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180215_R42986_images_5213d6e3a18ef81335fa8b66497375dd22058b50.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42986_files&id=/1.png": "files/20180215_R42986_images_f5ce96360bfd97a60b92b3fd6fbe7b8c7844acf8.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42986", "sha1": "7f7afae5ad7d4762cb1382acfe5f06370c3aecb0", "filename": "files/20180215_R42986_7f7afae5ad7d4762cb1382acfe5f06370c3aecb0.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4750, "name": "Air Quality" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4812, "name": "Fossil Energy" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 573877, "date": "2017-10-06", "retrieved": "2017-10-10T17:08:25.772036", "title": "Methane and Other Air Pollution Issues in Natural Gas Systems", "summary": "Natural Gas Systems and Air Pollution\nCongressional interest in U.S. energy policy has often focused on ways through which the United States could secure more economical, reliable, and cleaner fossil fuel resources both domestically and internationally. Recent expansion in natural gas production, primarily as a result of new or improved technologies (e.g., hydraulic fracturing, directional drilling) used on unconventional resources (e.g., shale, tight sands, and coalbed methane) has made natural gas an increasingly significant component in the U.S. energy supply. This expansion, however, has prompted questions about the potential impacts of natural gas systems on human health and the environment, including impacts on air quality. \nThe natural gas supply chain contributes to air pollution in several ways, including (1) the leaking, venting, and combustion of natural gas in the course of production operations; and (2) the combustion of other fossil fuel resources or other emissions during associated operations. Emission sources include pad, road, and pipeline construction; well drilling, completion, and flowback activities; and gas processing and transmission equipment such as controllers, compressors, dehydrators, pipes, and storage vessels. Pollutants include, most prominently, methane (i.e., the principal component of natural gas) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)\u2014of which the natural gas industry is one of the highest-emitting industrial sectors in the United States\u2014as well as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and various forms of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).\nFederal Air Standards for the Sector\nUnder the Obama Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated air standards for several source categories in the crude oil and natural gas sector on August 16, 2012. These standards revise previously existing rules and promulgate new ones to regulate emissions of VOCs, SO2, and HAPs from many production and processing activities that had never before been covered by federal standards (including, most notably, VOC controls on new hydraulically fractured natural gas wells). In an extension of these regulations, and in conjunction with the Obama Administration\u2019s Climate Action Plan, EPA promulgated additional rules on June 3, 2016, \u201cto set standards for methane and VOC emissions from new and modified oil and gas production sources, and natural gas processing and transmission sources\u201d not covered by the 2012 rule. Further, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), promulgated a \u201cWaste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation\u201d rule on November 18, 2016, to target natural gas emissions on federal and Indian lands as a potential waste of public resources and loss of royalty revenue.\nIn a direct response to the Obama-era standards, and in line with his campaign promises, President Trump signed Executive Order 13783 on March 28, 2017. The order\u2014entitled \u201cPromoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth\u201d\u2014requires agencies to review existing regulations and \u201cappropriately suspend, revise, or rescind those that unduly burden\u201d domestic energy production and use. Section 7 of the order specifically directs the EPA Administrator and the Secretary of the Interior to review several regulations related to domestic oil and gas development, including EPA\u2019s 2016 methane standards and BLM\u2019s 2016 waste prevention rule. In June 2017, both EPA and BLM announced plans to postpone the compliance dates for certain sections of the standards, pursuant to the Clean Air Act and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), while the agencies work through the reconsideration process. On July 3, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated EPA\u2019s administrative stay of the 2016 methane standards. On October 4, 2017, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled against BLM\u2019s delay. Both agencies have since proposed rulemakings to postpone certain requirements of the rules.\nScope and Purpose of This Report\nThis report provides information on the natural gas industry and the types and sources of air pollutants in the sector. It examines the role of the federal government in regulating these emissions, including the provisions in the Clean Air Act and other statutes, and EPA\u2019s and other agencies\u2019 regulatory activities. It concludes with a brief discussion of a number of issues under debate, including:\ndefining the roles of industry and local, state, and federal governments;\nestablishing comprehensive emissions data;\ndetermining the proper control of pollutants and sources; \nunderstanding the human health and environmental impacts of emissions; and\nestimating the costs of pollution abatement.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42986", "sha1": "ac308e5d77feda2c4f0b6480d1448b0b9d327717", "filename": "files/20171006_R42986_ac308e5d77feda2c4f0b6480d1448b0b9d327717.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42986_files&id=/1.png": "files/20171006_R42986_images_f5ce96360bfd97a60b92b3fd6fbe7b8c7844acf8.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42986_files&id=/0.png": "files/20171006_R42986_images_5213d6e3a18ef81335fa8b66497375dd22058b50.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42986", "sha1": "953ab546adcac343d4a3b822b206e3f7dde59b18", "filename": "files/20171006_R42986_953ab546adcac343d4a3b822b206e3f7dde59b18.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4750, "name": "Air Quality" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4812, "name": "Fossil Energy" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 462908, "date": "2017-07-27", "retrieved": "2017-08-22T13:43:50.062143", "title": "Methane and Other Air Pollution Issues in Natural Gas Systems", "summary": "Natural Gas Systems and Air Pollution\nCongressional interest in U.S. energy policy has often focused on ways through which the United States could secure more economical, reliable, and cleaner fossil fuel resources both domestically and internationally. Recent expansion in natural gas production, primarily as a result of new or improved technologies (e.g., hydraulic fracturing, directional drilling) used on unconventional resources (e.g., shale, tight sands, and coalbed methane) has made natural gas an increasingly significant component in the U.S. energy supply. This expansion, however, has prompted questions about the potential impacts of natural gas systems on human health and the environment, including impacts on air quality. \nThe natural gas supply chain contributes to air pollution in several ways, including (1) the leaking, venting, and combustion of natural gas in the course of production operations; and (2) the combustion of other fossil fuel resources or other emissions during associated operations. Emission sources include pad, road, and pipeline construction; well drilling, completion, and flowback activities; and gas processing and transmission equipment such as controllers, compressors, dehydrators, pipes, and storage vessels. Pollutants include, most prominently, methane (i.e., the principal component of natural gas) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)\u2014of which the natural gas industry is one of the highest-emitting industrial sectors in the United States\u2014as well as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and various forms of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).\nFederal Air Standards for the Sector\nUnder the Obama Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated air standards for several source categories in the crude oil and natural gas sector on August 16, 2012. These standards revise previously existing rules and promulgate new ones to regulate emissions of VOCs, SO2, and HAPs from many production and processing activities that had never before been covered by federal standards (including, most notably, VOC controls on new hydraulically fractured natural gas wells). In an extension of these regulations, and in conjunction with the Obama Administration\u2019s Climate Action Plan, EPA promulgated additional rules on June 3, 2016, \u201cto set standards for methane and VOC emissions from new and modified oil and gas production sources, and natural gas processing and transmission sources\u201d not covered by the 2012 rule. Further, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), promulgated a \u201cWaste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation\u201d rule on November 18, 2016, to target natural gas emissions on federal and Indian lands as a potential waste of public resources and loss of royalty revenue.\nIn a direct response to the Obama-era standards, and in line with his campaign promises, President Trump signed Executive Order 13783 on March 28, 2017. The order\u2014entitled \u201cPromoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth\u201d\u2014requires agencies to review existing regulations and \u201cappropriately suspend, revise, or rescind those that unduly burden\u201d domestic energy production and use. Section 7 of the order specifically directs the EPA Administrator and the Secretary of the Interior to review several regulations related to domestic oil and gas development, including EPA\u2019s 2016 methane standards and BLM\u2019s 2016 waste prevention rule. In June 2017, both EPA and BLM announced plans to postpone the compliance dates for certain sections of the standards, pursuant to the Clean Air Act and the Administrative Procedure Act, while the agencies work through the reconsideration process. On July 3, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated EPA\u2019s administrative stay of the 2016 methane standards. In July 2017, California, New Mexico, and more than a dozen environmental and tribal groups filed lawsuits challenging the legality of BLM\u2019s rule delay.\nScope and Purpose of This Report\nThis report provides information on the natural gas industry and the types and sources of air pollutants in the sector. It examines the role of the federal government in regulating these emissions, including the provisions in the Clean Air Act and other statutes, and EPA\u2019s and other agencies\u2019 regulatory activities. It concludes with a brief discussion of a number of issues under debate, including:\ndefining the roles of industry and local, state, and federal governments;\nestablishing comprehensive emissions data;\ndetermining the proper control of pollutants and sources; \nunderstanding the human health and environmental impacts of emissions; and\nestimating the costs of pollution abatement.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42986", "sha1": "1231753a99c7cb4b102dd14a5ae2b99c83a46429", "filename": "files/20170727_R42986_1231753a99c7cb4b102dd14a5ae2b99c83a46429.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42986_files&id=/0.png": "files/20170727_R42986_images_5213d6e3a18ef81335fa8b66497375dd22058b50.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42986_files&id=/1.png": "files/20170727_R42986_images_f5ce96360bfd97a60b92b3fd6fbe7b8c7844acf8.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42986", "sha1": "09986c98cfb6751995dffb86dbd7e256c53431e5", "filename": "files/20170727_R42986_09986c98cfb6751995dffb86dbd7e256c53431e5.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4750, "name": "Air Quality" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4812, "name": "Fossil Energy" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 453026, "date": "2016-06-01", "retrieved": "2016-11-28T22:08:43.145170", "title": "An Overview of Air Quality Issues in Natural Gas Systems", "summary": "Natural Gas Systems and Air Pollution: \nCongressional interest in U.S. energy policy has focused in part on ways through which the United States could secure more economical, reliable, and cleaner fossil fuel resources both domestically and internationally. Recent expansion in natural gas production, primarily as a result of new or improved technologies (e.g., hydraulic fracturing, directional drilling) used on unconventional resources (e.g., shale, tight sands, and coalbed methane) has made natural gas an increasingly significant component in the U.S. energy supply. This expansion, however, has prompted questions about the potential impacts of natural gas systems on human health and the environment, including impacts on air quality. \nNatural gas systems contribute to air pollution in several ways, including (1) the leaking, venting, and combustion of natural gas in the course of production operations, and (2) the combustion of other fossil fuel resources during associated operations. Emission sources include pad, road, and pipeline construction; well drilling, completion, and flowback activities; and gas processing and transmission equipment such as controllers, compressors, dehydrators, pipes, and storage vessels. Pollutants include, most prominently, methane and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)\u2014of which the natural gas industry is one of the highest-emitting industrial sectors in the United States\u2014as well as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and various forms of hazardous air pollutants.\nEPA\u2019s Air Standards for the Sector\nThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in response to a consent decree issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, promulgated air standards for several source categories in the crude oil and natural gas sector on August 16, 2012. These standards revise existing rules and promulgate new ones to regulate emissions of VOCs, sulfur dioxide, and hazardous air pollutants from many production and processing activities that had never before been covered by federal standards (including, most notably, VOC controls on new hydraulically fractured natural gas wells). In an extension of these regulations, and in conjunction with the Obama Administration\u2019s Climate Action Plan, EPA promulgated additional rules on May 12, 2016, \u201cto set standards for methane and VOC emissions from new and modified oil and gas production sources, and natural gas processing and transmission sources\u201d not covered by the 2012 rule.\nEPA\u2019s standards control air pollution, in part, through the capture of fugitive releases of natural gas. Thus, compliance with the standards has the potential to translate into economic benefits, as producers may be able to offset abatement costs with the value of product recovered and sold at market. EPA has reported estimates for the capital costs, engineering costs, and the monetized social benefits of VOC and methane reduction for both rules. Industry and other stakeholders have disputed these estimates as both too high and too low. Additionally, the expansion of both industry production and government regulation of natural gas has sparked discussion on a number of outstanding issues, including\ndefining the roles of industry, local, state, and federal governments;\nestablishing comprehensive emissions data;\nunderstanding the human health and environmental impacts of emissions;\ndetermining the proper control of pollutants and sources; and\nestimating the costs of pollution abatement.\nScope and Purpose of This Report\nThis report provides information on the natural gas industry and the types and sources of air pollutants in the sector. It examines the role of the federal government in regulating these emissions, including the provisions in the Clean Air Act and EPA\u2019s regulatory activities. It concludes with a brief discussion of the aforementioned outstanding issues.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42986", "sha1": "ab99e79cc347e3a9d6565e3d87861ddc03d008b7", "filename": "files/20160601_R42986_ab99e79cc347e3a9d6565e3d87861ddc03d008b7.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42986", "sha1": "ce5f2d7503fd88fdd32a3bb084836363e8fad09d", "filename": "files/20160601_R42986_ce5f2d7503fd88fdd32a3bb084836363e8fad09d.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4750, "name": "Air Quality" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4812, "name": "Fossil Energy" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 449488, "date": "2016-02-04", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T17:17:34.037254", "title": "An Overview of Air Quality Issues in Natural Gas Systems", "summary": "Natural Gas Systems and Air Pollution\nCongressional interest in U.S. energy policy has focused in part on ways through which the United States could secure more economical, reliable, and cleaner fossil fuel resources both domestically and internationally. Recent expansion in natural gas production, primarily as a result of new or improved technologies (e.g., hydraulic fracturing, directional drilling) used on unconventional resources (e.g., shale, tight sands, and coalbed methane) has made natural gas an increasingly significant component in the U.S. energy supply. This expansion, however, has prompted questions about the potential impacts of natural gas systems on human health and the environment, including impacts on air quality. \nNatural gas systems contribute to air pollution in several ways, including (1) the leaking, venting, and combustion of natural gas in the course of production operations, and (2) the combustion of other fossil fuel resources during associated operations. Emission sources include pad, road, and pipeline construction; well drilling, completion, and flowback activities; and gas processing and transmission equipment such as controllers, compressors, dehydrators, pipes, and storage vessels. Pollutants include, most prominently, methane and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)\u2014of which the natural gas industry is one of the highest-emitting industrial sectors in the United States\u2014as well as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and various forms of hazardous air pollutants.\nEPA\u2019s Air Standards for the Sector\nThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in response to a consent decree issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, promulgated air standards for several source categories in the crude oil and natural gas sector on August 16, 2012. These standards revise existing rules and promulgate new ones to regulate emissions of VOCs, sulfur dioxide, and hazardous air pollutants from many production and processing activities that had never before been covered by federal standards (including, most notably, VOC controls on new hydraulically fractured natural gas wells). In an extension of these regulations, and in conjunction with the Obama Administration\u2019s Climate Action Plan, EPA proposed additional rules on August 18, 2015, \u201cto set standards for methane and VOC emissions from new and modified oil and gas production sources, and natural gas processing and transmission sources\u201d not covered by the previous rule.\nEPA\u2019s standards control air pollution, in part, through the capture of fugitive releases of natural gas. Thus, compliance with the standards has the potential to translate into economic benefits, as producers may be able to offset abatement costs with the value of product recovered and sold at market. EPA has reported estimates for the capital costs, engineering costs, and the monetized social benefits of VOC and methane reduction for both rules. Industry and other stakeholders have disputed these estimates as both too high and too low. Additionally, the expansion of both industry production and government regulation of natural gas has sparked discussion on a number of outstanding issues, including\ndefining the roles of industry, local, state, and federal governments;\nestablishing comprehensive emissions data;\nunderstanding the human health and environmental impacts of emissions;\ndetermining the proper control of pollutants and sources; and\nestimating the costs of pollution abatement.\nScope and Purpose of This Report\nThis report provides information on the natural gas industry and the types and sources of air pollutants in the sector. It examines the role of the federal government in regulating these emissions, including the provisions in the Clean Air Act and EPA\u2019s regulatory activities. It concludes with a brief discussion of the aforementioned outstanding issues.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42986", "sha1": "dbecc41f5386da93bdbab505e94519f3a30b1e9f", "filename": "files/20160204_R42986_dbecc41f5386da93bdbab505e94519f3a30b1e9f.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42986", "sha1": "775f21e038b37e1c2b7ca519dc4bed0d072f8c2b", "filename": "files/20160204_R42986_775f21e038b37e1c2b7ca519dc4bed0d072f8c2b.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 2481, "name": "Oil and Natural Gas Markets" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 258, "name": "Clean Air Act and Air Quality" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc814933/", "id": "R42986_2015Oct02", "date": "2015-10-02", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "An Overview of Air Quality Issues in Natural Gas Systems", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20151002_R42986_529f25e0990fd272c9ee8c849dacc9c63399b4a9.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20151002_R42986_529f25e0990fd272c9ee8c849dacc9c63399b4a9.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc821851/", "id": "R42986_2015Mar23", "date": "2015-03-23", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "An Overview of Air Quality Issues in Natural Gas Systems", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20150323_R42986_61af598914e3be8a4b0f0d2c2a57b07ea68ffa15.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20150323_R42986_61af598914e3be8a4b0f0d2c2a57b07ea68ffa15.html" } ], "topics": [] } ], "topics": [ "Environmental Policy" ] }