This week, the future of Colorado’s proposed air quality regulations will be decided, but in a move that should inspire others, some oil and gas companies have already adopted the new standards. Anadarko Petroleum, Encana and Noble Energy have all taken strides to abide by the new regulations before the fate of the proposed rules have even been determined. The companies have removed storage tanks from their facilities, replaced automatic igniters with vents in order to burn off gas rather than releasing it into the air, as well as applied “low-bleed” valves.
The rules were initially proposed last November by Colorado’s Health Department, and were soon hailed by Governor Hickenlooper as the conception included input from environmentalists, health officials, and the oil and gas industry. In addition to the Environmental Defense Fund signing on to the proposal, Anadarko, Encana and Noble Energy all endorsed the regulations.
After pushback from several drillers and industry groups, including the head of the Colorado Petroleum Association saying state officials don’t have the right to regulate methane emissions, the companies have come out in support of the proposed rules by abiding them before their passage, saying that paying for cleaner technologies is the right thing to do.
By embracing the new rules before they have even been made mandatory, these companies are putting the health of Colorado’s air before profit and recognizing the benefits of working alongside environmental groups. In the past, arguments about oil and gas companies inability to connect with the needs and wants of the public have hurt industry’s image, but this move is a step in the right direction to encourage citizens that drillers hear their concerns.
We’ll give credit where credit is due: The good faith shown by Anadarko, Encana and Noble Energy prove that we don’t have to sacrifice clean air in order to develop energy, and we hope other oil and gas companies will follow in their footsteps.