^®: CRE Regulatory Action of the Week

EPA Phases in Oil & Gas NSPS
On August 5, 2013, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued updates to Clean Air Act New Source Performance Standards for air emissions from oil and gas storage tanks. The updates will phase in control deadlines, starting with higher-emitting tanks first, and will provide the necessary time to ramp up production and installation. EPA's order establishes two deadlines. Tanks which came online after Apr. 12 and are likely to have higher emissions will have to control VOC releases within 60 days or by April 15, 2014, whichever is later. Tanks which came online before April 12 and are likelier to have lower emissions must control those releases by April 15, 2015. The updated standards also establish an alternative emissions limit that would allow owners or operators to remove controls if they can demonstrate that the tanks emit less than 4 tons/year of VOC without controls.