The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently extended the public comment period on the proposed Clean Air Act rules aimed at reducing pollution from the oil and natural gas industry to Jan. 31.
The original deadline of Jan. 14 was extended due to several requests from interested parties given the complexity of the issue, a memorandum on the extension said.
The proposed rules will bring significant changes, especially by way of cost-effective reductions in methane emissions and other air pollutants harmful to the health of the nearby communities, an EPA press release said.
"The proposal would expand and strengthen emissions reduction requirements that are currently on the books for new, modified and reconstructed sources in the oil and natural gas industry," the EPA said in the release.
The rules aim to encourage the use of the latest technologies in detecting methane, most of which are being developed by small businesses within the United States, the release said.
Comments should be directed to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2021-0317 and can be submitted anonymously through regulations.gov, the release said. Participants can also send their comments via e-mail, fax and physical mail. Details on these methods can be found on EPA.gov.
