Transcript Background about methane origins and impacts, and an

Informational Webinar:
Regulating Methane for Oil and Gas Operations: Wildlife,
Health, and Public and Tribal Land Considerations
Co-hosted by:
The National Tribal Air Association and National Wildlife Federation
October 6, 2016
Agenda and Speakers
• Introductions and Overview of Webinar
• Andy Bessler, NTAA and Garrit Voggesser, NWF
• Methane origins, wildlife concerns, and an overview of the Environmental
Protection Agency’s regulatory approach.
• Shannon Heyck-Williams and Lauren Anderson, NWF
• Health issues associated with oil and gas methane.
• Sarah Uhl, Clean Air Task Force
• Impacts of Oil and Gas Development on the Northern Ute Reservation
• Minnie Grant, Northern Ute Tribe
• Impacts of Oil and Gas Development on the Fort Berthold Reservation
• Lisa Deville, Three Affiliated Tribes, Mandaree, ND; Dakota Resource Council
• Q&A
Methane Overview: Origins
• Methane is a super-pollutant that fuels climate change.
• In 2014, methane emissions contributed to nearly 11 percent of total U.S.
greenhouse gas emissions.
• The oil and gas sector is the largest human-caused source of these
emissions, accounting for one-third of total methane pollution.
• Methane is the chief component of natural gas, and is also a by-product of
oil development.
• EPA projects these emissions from oil and gas to grow by 25 percent over
the next ten years, absent action.
Methane Origins (cont’d)
• Hot spots can
signal local
pollution risks,
and
problematic
infrastructure
or practices
Yellow, orange, red =
above average
methane emissions
Wildlife Concerns
Examples of climate impacts:
• Trout streams in the West are becoming too warm in many months to
support fishing, threatening key species like bull trout and cutthroat trout.
Juvenile Bull Trout. Photo: USFWS.
Wildlife Concerns (cont’d)
Examples of climate
impacts:
• Big game, like mule
deer, elk, and
pronghorn, also can
be significantly
affected by rising
temperatures,
drought, and an
increase in the spread
of diseases, due to
climate change.
Baby Pronghorn. Photo: Jacob
W. Frank.
Mule deer doe. Photo: USFWS-Mountain Prairie.
Economic Issues on Tribal and Public Lands
• Leaking, vented, or flared methane = waste of an energy resource.
• “Oil and gas operations on federal and tribal lands emitted over 1
million tons of methane in 2013.” (ICF International)
• Losses worth nearly $330 million at
2013 prices
Photo: Coyote Minerals & Royalties
Economic Issues on Tribal and Public Lands (cont’d)
• Lost each year: $23 million in royalty revenues
• Potential uses for increased royalty revenue:
Photos: www.redcloudschool.org, www.toteinternationa.com, www.latino.foxnews.com
Brief Overview of Federal Regulations
• BLM Proposed Rule: to reduce methane pollution and waste from the
oil and gas industry on public and Indian lands.
• EPA Final Rule: reduce methane & other emissions from new and
modified oil and gas sources.
• EPA next steps: data collection for a new rule to address existing oil
and gas sources.
NWF Recommendations
• Propose, finalize and implement strong federal rules limiting methane pollution
from existing sources in the oil and gas industry.
• Finalize BLM’s Proposed Rule.
• Successfully implement federal rule limiting methane pollution from new and
modified sources of oil and gas production.
• Continue to support effective state efforts to reduce methane pollution from oil
and gas operations, e.g., Colorado.
Thank you!
For more information, please contact:
Shannon Heyck-Williams, NWF: [email protected]