The EPA Farts Out More Abusive Methane Regulations

by JASmius

Look at how methane emissions over the past six years have plummeted at the same time that natural gas production has soared. To listen to the greenstremists, you'd think this phenomenon was impossible. Inconceivable. "Big Oil = rampant pollution" is what we've been indoctrinated to believe for longer than my entire adult life. How can such a counterintuition possibly be the case?

Simple: Methane IS natural gas. And since natural gas is what the energy industry is attempting to extract, so that, yes, they can sell it, and yes, make a profit on it, guess what, boys and girls? They have an acute economic incentive to make sure that they allow as little of it to bleed off and escape as "methane emissions" as possible. A self-correcting problem that ought not require any regulatory reinforcement (even if the EPA was legal and constitutional), right?

Damn, right.

But the EPA is blitzing the energy industry with the regulations anyway because, "F*** you".

- Me, seven weeks ago


EPA formally imposed - oh, I'm sorry, "proposed" - the regs today:

The Environmental Protection Agency proposed regulations on Tuesday aimed at cutting methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40% to 45% over the next decade from 2012 levels.

EPA's assumption being that methane emission would skyrocket.  And you know the old saying about never assuming anything, because when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me.

The rules would apply to new or modified sources of oil and natural gas and require energy companies to find and repair leaks, capture natural gas during the completion of hydraulically fractured wells, and limit emissions from pneumatic pumps and several other types of equipment.

A big ol' bullseye on all new energy exploration, specifically targeting the newest energy exploration technology, to shut it down for good - even though the profit motive is more than sufficient motivation to have been bringing methane emissions steadily downward over the past four years:

Just after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rolled out new regulations on methane emissions for oil and gas development, the agency released the latest data in its Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. The new data show, once again, that methane emissions from oil and gas development are low and continue to rapidly plummet.

According to EPA, methane emissions from both the petroleum and natural gas systems sector declined 13% from 2011 to 2014.

As I concluded back in August:

Thus pretty much putting the energy industry out of business, cutting off the bulk of U.S. energy production, skyrocketing electricity rates, and laying waste to millions of what jobs remain in this country. And all in service to a complete fraud.

Aaaaaaaand putting out of business an industry that is already drastically reducing "greenhouse" emissions....

This is not "idiocracy," it is malevolent predation no different from a pride of lions hunting, slaughtering, and consuming a heard of zebras, but for the fact that the former is intentional and premeditated.

Or, as I've colorfully described it for years, "Government by the extended middle finger".

And they're never going to stop.  Ever.

You know how sometimes when you fart, you get a little more than you bargained for?  Yeah.