TCEQ outlines draft state plan to implement EPA methane rules for existing oil and gas sources

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality staff on Nov. 6 told stakeholders the agency will develop a state implementation plan to adopt U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requirements in 40 CFR part 60, subpart OOC for existing oil- and gas-sector sources.

Agency presenters said the plan is intended to preserve state authority to regulate emissions from existing crude oil and natural gas operations while setting specific monitoring and control requirements intended to reduce methane emissions from production, processing, transmission and storage facilities. The agency described timelines, inspection frequencies and control performance targets and invited written comments through Dec. 31.

The presenters said the federal rulemaking timeline gives states 24 months to develop and submit a state plan after EPA’s Federal Register publication; the presentation said the 60-day clock after publication began May 8 and included a reference to May 7, 2024 as an associated start date. Once a state plan is approved, the presenters said facilities would have up to 36 months after plan submission to reach final compliance, which the…