Colorado Petroleum Council reacts to the conclusion of the Air Quality Control Commission Rulemaking

DENVER, December 19, 2019 - The Colorado Petroleum Council issued the following statement from Executive Director Lynn Granger regarding the Air Quality Control Commission rulemaking. 

“Colorado’s air quality is improving, and the industry has largely driven this progress, working closely with regulators and communities across Colorado. Public health, safety, welfare and the environment are our top priorities, evident as emissions from natural gas and oil facilities in the nonattainment area fell 45 percent from 2011 to 2017, while production increased nearly fourfold. To continue this progress, industry advocated for a comprehensive, annual emissions inventory and performance-based regulatory program for the transmission and storage segment.

“Throughout this process, outside of three major issues, industry has been largely supportive of the general emission reduction strategies the Air Pollution Control Division proposed. Industry opposes the thresholds established for truck loadout and for storage tank control requirements outside of the nonattainment area, the imposition of a semi-annual leak detection requirement for even low-emitting facilities, and the adoption of a proximity-based leak detection program not grounded in science or data. 

“The rushed nature of this rulemaking did not allow for a robust stakeholder process on all of the complex topics addressed. Instead, this rulemaking will likely result in significant unintended consequences – adding unnecessary costs and uncertain regulatory obligations without truly furthering emissions reductions. Additional process could have ensured a more rational, technically sound and readily implementable rule. Given the Commission’s direction to address a multitude of topics in 2020, we hope the rulemaking process will be refined and the appropriate amount of time will be allocated to these discussions moving forward.”

The Colorado Petroleum Council is a division of API, which represents all segments of America’s natural gas and oil industry. Our more than 600 members produce, process and distribute most of the nation’s energy. The industry supports more than ten million U.S. jobs and is backed by a growing grassroots movement of millions of Americans. API was formed in 1919 as a standards-setting organization. In our first 100 years, API has developed more than 700 standards to enhance operational and environmental safety, efficiency and sustainability.