{"id":44462,"date":"2021-10-01T15:26:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-01T21:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/should-methane-rules-extend-to-older-wells\/"},"modified":"2021-10-01T21:26:00","modified_gmt":"2021-10-01T21:26:00","slug":"should-methane-rules-extend-to-older-wells","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/should-methane-rules-extend-to-older-wells\/","title":{"rendered":"Should methane rules extend to older wells?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"The
The orange and red spots on this satellite image produced between 2003 and 2009 show the area in the country with the highest concentrations of methane. The San Juan basin contains the \u201creddest\u201d spot in the U.S., making it the most concentrated source of methane emissions in the country, said Gwen Lachelt. (Courtesy of NASA, JPL Caltech, University of Michigan)<\/span>du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The San Juan Basin in Southwest Colorado and northwest New Mexico is home to more than 30,000 gas wells, some active, others inactive. As a major producer of natural gas in the early 2000s, it has also been identified as a major producer of methane gas emissions.<\/p>\n

In fact, satellite images taken between 2003 and 2009 showed a 2,500-square-mile methane hot spot over the basin. A study later found 250 different sites that accounted for over 50% of the emissions, all related to energy extraction methods. Scientists from NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory used thermal camera imaging in 2016 show how natural gas spews from industry facilities in the basin. And more recently, the Environmental Protection Agency and New Mexico Environment Department reported 61 leaks<\/a> of methane and volatile organic compounds from a variety of oil and gas equipment, including storage tanks and flares, in the San Juan Basin.<\/p>\n

But as production wanes, what should happen to those old or abandoned wells still leaking methane?<\/p>\n

Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper are leading the call for stronger protective methane standards for the oil and gas industry.<\/p>\n

In a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Sept. 23, Bennet, Hickenlooper and other Colorado representatives urged the extension of Obama-era protections to older wells. According to data<\/a> released by the EPA in 2018, more than 3.2 million abandoned oil and gas wells emitted 281 kilotons of methane, equivalent to consuming about 16 million barrels of crude oil.<\/p>\n

\u201cMethane is the main component of natural gas and a climate pollutant many times more potent than carbon dioxide, especially in the near-term,\u201d Bennet and other lawmakers wrote in a statement. \u201cDeploying all technically feasible measures now could cut methane pollution in half by 2030, slowing climate change and avoiding up to a quarter degree of warming by midcentury. To have a chance of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees, we must seize every opportunity to reduce these emissions in the near term.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2016, a two-year study released by NASA confirmed that energy extraction practices were responsible for the methane hot spot found over the Four Corners. A previous argument made the case that the emissions were from natural steeps, but it was found that most of them were related to industrial facilities.<\/p>\n

This discovery led to demands for legislation and regulations to reduce emissions. In 2016, the Obama administration adopted regulations similar to those originally passed by Colorado. Colorado was the first state to pass state-level regulations on methane emissions and pollution in the oil and gas sectors. The Trump administration rolled them back but they were restored in May 2021 by a bipartisan vote in Congress.<\/p>\n

While the lawmakers are satisfied with the restoration of the regulations, they wrote that the issue of older wells has been ignored. According to the letter, marginal or low-production wells leak at a similar rate as active wells, even though they are exempt from the regulations.<\/p>\n

\"Andrew
Andrew Thorpe, with NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, powers up a thermal camera imaging system in 2016 next to a storage tank at a natural-gas facility near Aztec. Researchers were in the Four Corners working on a collaborative study to reveal the cause of the methane concentration over the area. (Shaun Stanley\/PBS NewsHour file)<\/span>du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

A 2021 study<\/a> conducted by McGill University found that the annual methane emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells have been underestimated. U.S. estimates are about 20% below actual levels, according to the study.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese wells represent a majority of the nation\u2019s fleet, just a small percentage of oil and gas production, and about half of the methane emissions from the industry,\u201d Bennet and others wrote in the letter. \u201cWe urge EPA to eliminate the low-production well exemption and ensure these wells are subject to rigorous leak-detection and repair requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2020, according to state data, there were 17,196 inactive wells<\/a>, producing less than one barrel of oil each day.<\/p>\n

Some of the other measures the letter outlines include frequent traditional and advanced monitoring; subjecting all wells to leak-detection and repair requirements; eliminating the practice of routine flaring; and preventing abandoned wells.<\/p>\n

Gwen Lachelt, a former La Plata County commissioner, is executive director of the Western Leaders Network, a nonprofit comprising over 450 officials who support conservation policies.<\/p>\n

Having seen the public health effects it has had on people in Durango and the surrounding area, specifically with the region consistently receiving a low grade<\/a> by the American Lung Association because of ozone, Lachelt is happy legislators are focusing on more ways to reduce methane emissions than just focusing on oil and gas facilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrphaned and abandoned wells are a huge problem,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to include cleanup of those wells with this big focus, and there are a few bills out there, like Sen. Bennet\u2019s bill and Sen. Lujan\u2019s bill. They would all address the old and abandoned wells. You can\u2019t say that we are going to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas facilities and then leave out what could be tens of thousands, if not more, abandoned wells.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"This
This photograph of a laptop computer screen in 2016 shows a storage tank spewing methane gas next to a natural-gas facility near Aztec, as seen from a thermal camera imaging system operated by Andrew Thorpe of NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (Shaun Stanley\/PBS NewsHour file photo)<\/span>du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Dan Haley, president of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, said Colorado\u2019s specific statewide regulations were effective. But he doesn\u2019t believe nationwide regulations and mandates are beneficial.<\/p>\n

\u201cHard and heavy top-down mandates only serve to divide and frustrate people, and may not produce beneficial outcomes,\u201d Haley told The Durango Herald<\/em>. \u201cEvery state and every basin faces different challenges where one size doesn\u2019t fit all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The
The orange and red spots on this satellite image produced between 2003 and 2009 show the area in the country with the highest concentrations of methane. The San Juan basin contains the \u201creddest\u201d spot in the U.S., making it the most concentrated source of methane emissions in the country, said Gwen Lachelt. (Courtesy of NASA, JPL Caltech, University of Michigan)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
The San Juan Basin<\/div>\n

The San Juan Basin is an example of a basin that is affected by the activities of different states, and it is home to the highest concentration of methane pollution in the U.S.<\/p>\n

Bordering New Mexico and Colorado, each state has different laws and regulations regarding methane emissions. While Colorado is ahead of other states in regulations, New Mexico recently proposed tougher regulations<\/a> on the oil and gas sectors.<\/p>\n

New Mexico is ranked second in the U.S. for oil and gas production.<\/p>\n

Christi Zeller, executive director of the La Plata County Energy Council, said varying state laws and regulations, like stricter methane rules in Colorado but laxer guidelines in New Mexico, do not have much of an impact on methane emissions in the San Juan Basin.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe methane cloud over Durango has not been a matter of fact, any of the leakage. That\u2019s the headline, but that\u2019s not the truth,\u201d Zeller said. \u201cYou cannot paint the U.S. emission regulations with one stroke nationwide when you can\u2019t recognize different basins\u2019 products.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zeller said La Plata County is capturing methane in the basin because it is the only product. She said the nationwide laws wouldn\u2019t affect the emissions levels because they already follow Colorado\u2019s stricter laws. However, most of the emissions come from New Mexico<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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