February 27, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 36 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page H2264]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           METHANE RELIEF ACT

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, in 2016, the 
Environmental Protection Agency announced the New Source Performance 
Standards for the oil and natural gas industry to further regulate 
methane emissions. Thankfully, the EPA is revisiting this regulation in 
an effort to provide flexibility and relief moving forward.
  For many small oil and gas producers, these requirements contained in 
the original regulation are simply unworkable and overly burdensome.
  For example, the regulation would even apply to wells that produce 
less than 15 barrels of oil and less than 90,000 cubic feet of natural 
gas per day. Because these wells produce at low volumes, the profit 
margin remains tight for the operators.
  However, under the original rule, these low-volume producers would be 
subject to expensive upgrades, additional reporting requirements and 
administrative costs in order to comply with the regulation.
  Madam Speaker, today I introduced H.R. 1391, the Methane Relief Act 
of 2019, which would exempt these low-volume wells from the rule's 
requirements. Doing so will allow for commonsense regulatory relief and 
certainty for these smaller operators which account for an important 
part of our domestic energy industry.

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