When it comes to Pennsylvania’s status as an energy leader, there’s much we can all agree on. Our proud history of powering industry, driving innovation, and meeting the energy needs of the state is extraordinary. Larger questions around energy affordability, resilience and demand growth are now inescapable. There are clear signs that a “same as always” approach to energy isn’t good enough.
John Walliser
Pennsylvania can remain an energy leader, but failure to utilize better technologies and practices will be costly both now and in the long run. We are an “all of the above” state when it comes to energy, and natural gas will be a meaningful part of that equation for the foreseeable future, but all parties should embrace opportunities to achieve real energy, economic, and health benefits where improvements can be made. Which brings us to the topic of reducing methane emissions.
Leading operators in the natural gas industry are already taking strong steps to address emissions with technologies that are readily available, and they deserve recognition for doing so. These steps make Pennsylvania gas more competitive at home and abroad, and align with recently adopted national air and methane pollution standards. Those federal standards were in fact developed in consultation with, and supported by, both industry and public stakeholders. Meeting them only becomes more crucial to staying competitive as export markets and large industrial users, such as data centers, seek cleaner sources of energy.
Consistent with its own authority, Pennsylvania is now working to develop guidelines and compliance measures to implement the federal requirements. The good news is that these standards provide benefits across the board, and they allow for flexibility in implementation. Yes, industry will be required to conduct regular, instrument-based inspections and repair their equipment for unintended emissions, but this means safer well sites, less air pollution, and a lot less marketable gas wasted. This in turn will boost reliability, benefit operators’ bottom lines, and lower prices for consumers. Equally important, it creates jobs with homegrown inspection and technology companies and cutting-edge research from our universities.
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These methane standards also provide flexibility for smaller, low-producing wells, but we need to be clear-eyed about the problem at hand. “Low producing” does not automatically mean “low polluting,” so standards must be applied accordingly. Analysis has shown that many older conventional wells, which make up a very small part of statewide production, still emit a disproportionally large share — nearly 50% — of all methane emissions in our commonwealth. And a majority of these wells are in fact owned by large and even multi-state operators that have the means to deal with them. Control requirements can be designed to match realities on the ground and in the air, but for the more than 1 million people living in proximity to these wells, we need to be responsible about what the realities truly are.
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An “all of the above” state still needs to do things right. The state Department of Environmental Protection is now in the process of designing its rules, and there will be ample opportunity for input from the public, industry and others to help shape a program that is durable, can reduce costs, and ensure our energy future as a leader. A clean and productive industry benefits us all. The industry has shown that it can lead. We stand ready to work with those willing partners to make it happen.
John Walliser is senior VP for legal and government affairs at the Pennsylvania Environmental Council.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: How controlling methane can help Pa. remain an energy leader | Opinion
