Methane Emissions
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of March 31, 2025
Water Quality: Bucks County Attorney General’s Office Announces Investigation into Sunoco Pipeline Leak ⚡
On March 11, 2025, the Bucks County Assistant District Attorney Edward Louka announced during a town meeting that the Attorney General’s office would be investigating leaks from a Sunoco pipeline in Upper Makefield, PA. The pipeline leak was confirmed by a Pennsylvania announcement in January 2025, which stated that the pipeline leak had contaminated six wells within Upper Makefield. Since the leak was announced, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) had been involved with water testing within the wells for contamination, with potential contaminants […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of March 24, 2025
Methane Emissions: Congress Votes to Eliminate November 2024 Waste Emissions Rule ⚡
On March 4, 2025, Congress presented to the President H.J.Res.35, which is a joint resolution which would eliminate the rule, “Waste Emissions Charge for Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems: Procedures for Facilitating Compliance, Including Netting and Exemptions” (89 FR 91094). This final rule, which was promulgated through the Inflation Reduction Act, required the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to “impose and collect an annual charge on methane emissions that exceed waste emissions thresholds specified by Congress.” The House and Senate passed H.J.Res.35 on February 26, 2025, and […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of March 17, 2025
National Energy Policy: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Announces the Unfreezing of Federal Funds Allocated to Pennsylvania ⚡
On February 24, 2025, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania announced that federal funding that was allocated to Pennsylvania, which had previously been frozen, is now unfrozen. On January 27, 2025, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget issued the “Memorandum for Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies,” which required federal agencies to “identify and review all Federal financial assistance programs and supporting activities consistent with the President’s policies and requirements.” The memorandum required federal agencies to place a pause on activities and programs that […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of January 6, 2025
LNG Exports: DOE Releases Updated Study on LNG Exports and Invites Public Comment ⚡
On December 17, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released the 2024 LNG Export Study: Energy, Economic, and Environmental Assessment of U.S. LNG Exports. The long-awaited study examines the potential effects on domestic households, consumers, economy, and energy security by U.S. LNG exports, as well as the exports’ effects on communities near LNG export terminals and production facilities. According to the Secretary of Energy’s statement, the study will help inform the DOE’s public interest analysis when making LNG export decisions where the U.S. has […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of December 2, 2024
Methane Emissions: EPA Finalizes Methane Emissions Fee for Oil and Gas Sector ⚡
On November 12, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule implementing a Waste Emissions Charge (WEC) on certain oil and gas operations. The WEC will apply to high-emitting oil and gas facilities, defined as those reporting to the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program annual emissions exceeding 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. This rule was issued under a Congressional directive of the Inflation Reduction Act requiring the EPA to implement and collect the fees, as well as provide for appropriate exemptions where emissions […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of June 17, 2024
Methane Emissions: Arkansas and Louisiana Receive $30 Million to Plug and Reclaim Legacy Oil and Gas Wells ⚡
On May 30, 2024, the United States Department of the Interior issued a press announcing Arkansas and Louisiana would receive a combined $30.59 million to be used to plug and reclaim orphaned oil and gas wells. The funds come from the $660 set aside by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Louisiana is receiving most of the funds, $25 million, while Arkansas receives the remaining $5.59 million. With the funds, the states will measure methane emissions from orphaned oil and gas […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of April 22, 2024
Methane Emissions: DOT and PHMSA Announce Pipeline Repair Funding to Reduce Emissions ⚡
On April 3, 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced that $392 million of funding will be dedicated to modernizing pipeline systems and infrastructure with the stated goal of preventing methane pollution emissions. The funding will be divided amongst 130 projects proposed by municipality and community owned utility companies across 26 states. The selected projects involve repairing or replacing almost 500 miles of pipelines, for what PHMSA has said will result in a reduction of methane pollution […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of February 26, 2024
Methane Emissions: DOE and EPA Announce Intent to Fund Methane Mitigation ⚡
On February 9, 2024, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced their intent to make Inflation Reduction Act funds available for mitigating methane, a “super pollutant.” The Methane Emissions Reduction Program will seek to target the oil and natural gas supply chain by funding projects to reduce emissions at existing wells and assets, while also developing new mitigation technologies and measuring systems to aid in identifying and fixing methane leaks. These projects will include collaboration between the oil and gas sector and DOE […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of January 29, 2024
Methane Emissions: EPA Proposes New Rule Aimed at Methane Reductions in Oil and Gas Industry ⚡
On Friday, January 12, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Press Office released a statement regarding a newly proposed EPA rule aimed at reducing “wasteful methane emissions from the oil and gas sector.” The purported purpose of these methane emission reduction measures is to “incentivize industry innovation” while also protecting the environment. The final rule, published on December 2, 2023, is focused on reducing air pollution from activities within the oil and gas industry, particularly those listed under the “Crude Oil and Natural […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of January 22, 2024
Infrastructure: $625 Million in Grants Announced to Expand Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure ⚡
On January 11, 2024, the Department of Energy Office (DOE) of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced $625 million in grants to expand the infrastructure of charging capabilities for electronic vehicles. These grants are provided through the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program. The noted goal of this round of grants is to construct around “500,000 publicly available chargers by 2030.” The announced grants include $311 million awarded from the Federal Highway Administration to 36 community projects to bolster electric vehicle charging and hydrogen […]
