Policy Memo To EPA: Stay Strong On Oil and Gas Standards

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) argues that the EPA's final New Source Performance Standards for the oil and gas industry must require 'green completions' to capture methane and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The memo asserts that methane from US oil and gas operations is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide over 100 years and contributes to global warming as much as 16% of all CO2 from US coal-fired power plants. CATF rejects industry claims that green completions are too costly or that flaring is a sufficient alternative, noting that such technologies are already used in states like Colorado and Wyoming.

• Methane is identified as a potent climate driver, with a warming potential 25 times that of carbon dioxide over a 100-year period, and emissions from US oil and gas operations are estimated to warm the global climate as much as 16% of the CO2 emitted by US coal-fired power plants.
• The use of 'green completions' or 'reduced emission completions' (RECs) is presented as a cost-effective method to capture methane and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from fracked and refracked wells, potentially generating profit for the industry through the sale of captured gas.
• The document disputes industry claims that flaring is an adequate solution or that gas streams with less than 10% VOCs are insignificant, arguing that flaring is not the 'best system of emissions reduction' required by law.
• The proposed performance standards are described as common sense and cost-effective, with similar measures already implemented in Colorado and Wyoming.

APA

Weeks, A., & McCabe, D. (2012). Policy Memo To EPA: Stay Strong On Oil and Gas Standards. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2012/04/memo-to-epa-stay-strong-on-oil-and-gas-standards/

Chicago

Weeks, Ann, and David McCabe. Policy Memo To EPA: Stay Strong On Oil and Gas Standards. Clean Air Task Force, 2012. https://www.catf.us/2012/04/memo-to-epa-stay-strong-on-oil-and-gas-standards/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Weeks |first1=Ann |last2=McCabe |first2=David |title=Policy Memo To EPA: Stay Strong On Oil and Gas Standards |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=11 April 2012 |url=https://www.catf.us/2012/04/memo-to-epa-stay-strong-on-oil-and-gas-standards/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{weeks2012policy, author = {Weeks, Ann and McCabe, David}, title = {{Policy Memo To EPA: Stay Strong On Oil and Gas Standards}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2012}, month = apr, url = {https://www.catf.us/2012/04/memo-to-epa-stay-strong-on-oil-and-gas-standards/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }