EPA released a guidance Friday afternoon stating that next week’s deadline for newer oil wells to stop burning off associated gas does not apply in areas where pipelines are still being built.
The guidance, which came in the form of a letter from EPA Air Chief Aaron Szabo to regional EPA administrators, provides “a clarification” of the terms of the Biden-era methane oil and gas methane standards. In addition to allowing routine flaring to continue in areas where insufficient sale lines have been built — perhaps, the letter says, because gas supply exceeds demand in those areas and gas prices could be negative — the guidance also reminds operators of the rule’s provision for a temporary waiver to flare for up to 30 days if there is a disruption or maintenance problem downstream of the wellhead.
One example of this that Szabo offered was in cases where multiple production sites are connected to the same gathering or sales line and it is temporarily at capacity.
The four-page guidance document came after EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin promised lawmakers at a House budget hearing Tuesday that EPA would address concerns raised by some producers about a May 7 deadline to stop flaring outside of emergencies. The ban applies only to operations that came online after May 7, 2024.
