TCEQ begins stakeholder outreach to implement EPA methane emission guidelines for existing oil and gas facilities

A rulemaking team from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) outlined Nov. 6 that the agency is drafting state rule language and a state plan to implement EPA emission guidelines for existing oil and gas facilities (40 CFR part 60, subpart OOOOc, commonly called “Quad O C”) and invited stakeholder input through a series of meetings and written comment.

David Munzenmeyer, rural project manager for the TCEQ, told attendees that he is “the best single point of contact if you wanna reach somebody and ask a question, get some additional input or need some feedback,” and described the session as informal stakeholder outreach that precedes the formal proposal, public comment and adoption steps.

The rule and state plan package being drafted will implement EPA’s emission guidelines for existing, unmodified sources in the oil and gas sector while preserving Texas’s authority to regulate those sources through a state plan. Dan Sims, air-permits division technical specialist, summarized the rule’s purpose: “The intention of this rule is to reduce methane emissions from existing and unmodified sources in the oil and natural gas industry.”

Why it matters: EPA’s guidelines require states to adopt enforceable programs for existing sources. TCEQ has 24 months from the federal effective date to submit a state plan to EPA, and EPA allows up to 36 months after plan submittal for facilities to reach compliance, meaning affected sites could have as much as roughly five years in total to comply, depending on the schedule included in the approved plan.

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