EPA Grants 90-Day Stay On Emissions Monitoring Compliance

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently granted a 90-day stay of the compliance date for the fugitive emissions monitoring requirements for compressor stations under NSPS OOOOa.

GPA Midstream filed a request in August 2016 for the EPA to grant partial reconsideration and a stay of EPA’s “Oil and Natural Gas Sector: Emission Standards for New, Modified and Reconstructed Sources” final rule. The association submitted a supplemental request for a stay in March.

GPA Midstream issued the following statement in response to the EPA’s decision:

“The 90-day stay will allow GPA Midstream members to delay or suspend implementation of their fugitive emissions monitoring programs for compressor stations affected by NSPS OOOOa. In particular, companies now have the option to defer several thousands of dollars in expenditures for each affected station on development of monitoring plans, purchase of monitoring equipment and conducting of initial monitoring surveys,” said Mark Sutton, GPA Midstream president and CEO. “GPA Midstream has a long history of working collaboratively with state and federal regulators to identify commonsense solutions on a wide range or regulatory issues, including many environmental issues. We appreciate this continued collaborative working relationship with EPA during its rule making and reconsideration process.”