Senate Bill 34 (Carbon Capture and Storage Act of 2013), which would close certain key legal gaps that hinder carbon capture and storage in California, lost its sponsor late last week when Senator Rubio (D – East Bakersfield) suddenly resigned. Earlier this week the Senate Environmental Quality Committee decided to postpone its hearing on SB-34.
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EPA Issues Final Rule Governing Fracking Emissions
By Robin Seifried on
Posted in Fracking, Uncategorized
Last week, EPA issued a final rule imposing New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) on fracking well completions. The rule applies to new gas wells and refractured gas wells, which are considered “modifications” subject to NSPS. Under the new rule, fracking operators must use reduced emission completions, also known as RECs or green completions, to reduce…
Industry Report Suggests Improvements for EPA’s Proposed Fracking Study
By Robin Seifried on
Posted in Fracking, Uncategorized
The American Petroleum Institute and America’s Natural Gas Alliance sponsored a report finding that EPA’s proposed hydraulic fracturing study plan could be improved in several areas. The report finds that the proposed EPA study reaches beyond the scope of Congress’s stated purpose – studying the relationship between fracking and drinking water. Rather than focus on…
Oil & Gas Industry Law Alert: U.S. EPA Continues Refinery Enforcement, Focuses on Flares
By Mike Mills on
Posted in Uncategorized
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice recently announced the latest proposed settlement in EPA’s Clean Air Act enforcement initiative against petroleum refiners. Hess Corporation will pay an $850,000 civil penalty and spend more than $45 million on new pollution controls at its Port Reading, New Jersey refinery to resolve alleged…