Time to Lead: With the U.S. Taking the Helm of the Arctic Council, It’s Time to Take the Lead on Reducing Methane and Black Carbon

The Clean Air Task Force asserts that as the U.S. assumes the chairmanship of the Arctic Council, it must lead by example in reducing short-lived climate pollutants. While the Council adopted the Framework on Black Carbon and Methane Emissions, the author argues that U.S. domestic regulations for Arctic offshore oil and gas, managed by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), are severely outdated. The document calls for BOEM to align its rules with EPA standards, eliminate 'emission exemption levels', include support vessel emissions, and ban the routine venting and flaring of natural gas in the Arctic.

• The Arctic Council adopted the Framework on Black Carbon and Methane Emissions, which requires member nations to compile emissions inventories, report on mitigation efforts, establish an expert steering group, and increase international cooperation, although the framework is voluntary and non-binding.
• The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) uses outdated air pollution regulations for Arctic offshore oil and gas sources that are more than 30 years old and do not require air permits for all sources.
• Current BOEM regulations allow offshore sources to avoid installing air pollution controls if emissions fall below 'emission exemption levels' based on distance from shore; for example, a source 9 miles offshore can emit up to 299 tons of particulate matter without taking action.
• The author recommends that BOEM update its rules to be consistent with EPA regulations, include emissions from support vessels within 25 miles of a source, and replace the exemption scheme with air modeling and BACT-like controls.
• To protect the Arctic, the document argues that BOEM should prohibit the venting of natural gas and restrict flaring to emergencies, requiring companies to instead collect gas for market, on-site power, or re-injection.

APA

Schroeder, D., & Banks, J. (2015). Time to Lead: With the U.S. Taking the Helm of the Arctic Council, It’s Time to Take the Lead on Reducing Methane and Black Carbon. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2015/05/time-to-lead-with-the-u-s-taking-the-helm-of-the-arctic-council-its-time-to-take-the-lead-on-reducing-methane-and-black-carbon/

Chicago

Schroeder, Darin, and Jonathan Banks. Time to Lead: With the U.S. Taking the Helm of the Arctic Council, It’s Time to Take the Lead on Reducing Methane and Black Carbon. Clean Air Task Force, 2015. https://www.catf.us/2015/05/time-to-lead-with-the-u-s-taking-the-helm-of-the-arctic-council-its-time-to-take-the-lead-on-reducing-methane-and-black-carbon/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Schroeder |first1=Darin |last2=Banks |first2=Jonathan |title=Time to Lead: With the U.S. Taking the Helm of the Arctic Council, It’s Time to Take the Lead on Reducing Methane and Black Carbon |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=8 May 2015 |url=https://www.catf.us/2015/05/time-to-lead-with-the-u-s-taking-the-helm-of-the-arctic-council-its-time-to-take-the-lead-on-reducing-methane-and-black-carbon/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{schroeder2015time, author = {Schroeder, Darin and Banks, Jonathan}, title = {{Time to Lead: With the U.S. Taking the Helm of the Arctic Council, It’s Time to Take the Lead on Reducing Methane and Black Carbon}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2015}, month = may, url = {https://www.catf.us/2015/05/time-to-lead-with-the-u-s-taking-the-helm-of-the-arctic-council-its-time-to-take-the-lead-on-reducing-methane-and-black-carbon/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }