Nationwide Standards for Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Are Key to Controlling Ozone

The document highlights the link between oil and gas emissions and ground-level ozone, asserting that methane regulations provide significant co-benefits by reducing VOCs more effectively than direct VOC regulations or previous EPA programs. It notes a high overlap between oil and gas production areas and regions exceeding proposed ozone standards, particularly west of the Mississippi River.

• Nationwide methane regulations for the oil and gas industry would reduce VOC emissions by 16-23 percent, equivalent to 571,000 to 825,000 metric tons of VOC.
• Direct regulation of methane is more effective at reducing VOCs from oil and gas operations than regulations focused solely on VOCs because the EPA is required to control existing sources of pollutants if they are controlled from new sources, a duty the agency has not applied to existing VOC sources.
• The potential VOC reductions from proposed methane standards exceed those of several previous EPA programs, including the 2012 oil and gas standards (171,000 to 265,000 metric tons), the 1992 Enhanced Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program (381,000 metric tons per year), and the 2013 Tier 3 Motor Vehicle Standards (up to 117,000 tons by 2025).
• There is a significant geographic overlap between oil and gas production and ozone pollution; of the 423 U.S. counties producing over one million barrels of oil equivalent in 2013, 79 counties across 14 states had measured ozone levels above 65 ppb.
• While methane is a precursor to global ozone, VOCs from oil and gas facilities contribute significantly to regional ozone formation, with the most significant benefits of VOC reduction expected west of the Mississippi River.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (2014). Nationwide Standards for Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Are Key to Controlling Ozone. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093443/20141212-Ozone-Methane_Fact_Sheet.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Nationwide Standards for Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Are Key to Controlling Ozone. 2014. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093443/20141212-Ozone-Methane_Fact_Sheet.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Nationwide Standards for Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Are Key to Controlling Ozone |date=December 2014 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093443/20141212-Ozone-Methane_Fact_Sheet.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforce2014nationwide, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{Nationwide Standards for Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Are Key to Controlling Ozone}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2014}, month = dec, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093443/20141212-Ozone-Methane_Fact_Sheet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }