American Oil and Gas Reporter - July 2015 - 164

Howard J. Feldman of the American Petroleum Institute breaks down the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed
methane emission regulations. Feldman
said the regulations would be finalized
by 2016 and would address various
sources.

He also affirmed that operators should
have good working relationships with
their pumpers, and "make them feel like
they are an important part of changing
the well." Operators should ask pumpers'
advice without interrogating them. "The
pumper should not be the low man in the
company," he reiterated. "If the operator
doesn't care about the project, why should
the pumper?"
Goodwin said TOGA members should
ask their pumpers questions such as:
* What can we do to improve production?
* Is there trash clogging the well?
* How does it compare to other wells
in the area?
* Is the well gas locking?
Goodwin recommended operators try
chemical treatments-both standard and
dump acid jobs-and various secondary
recovery techniques, such as gas reinjection and waterflooding.
"The key is paying as much, if not
more, attention to the wells already drilled
as the ones you soon will," he concluded.
"Tennessee has plenty of resources, we
simply have to find them, whether they are
in old or new wells. This way, we can save
more money, and make more money."
Methane Emissions
American Petroleum Institute Senior
Director of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs Howard J. Feldman told TOGA
about the Environmental Protection
Agency's upcoming methane emission
regulations, which are scheduled to be
proposed in 2015 and finalized in 2016.

Feldman said that the regulations mostly would apply to gas rather than oil, but
oil would be affected as well. As of 2013,
natural gas activity accounted for almost
29 percent of total methane emissions.
By comparison, he said enteric fermentation accounted for 26 percent, and landfills, 18 percent.
"Everyone recognizes that (burning
natural gas) helps reduce greenhouse gas
emissions," Feldman described. "Between
2005 and 2013, in the midst of the great
shale revolution, methane emissions fell
while production increased. In fact, natural
gas methane emissions fell 12 percent,
while production grew 39 percent."
According to Feldman, the EPA's regulations will address new and existing
sources of methane emissions, as well as
volatile organic compounds. Feldman
recommended companies consider participating in the voluntary Natural Gas
Star Program, which was scheduled to
add some enhancements this summer.
"Targeted oil and gas sources are only
2 percent of total GHG emissions," he
observed. "That is roughly 23 percent of
U.S. methane emissions."
API is urging EPA to avoid adding
methane control requirements to existing
sources, and is recommending that the
EPA use a combination of top-down and
bottom-up emission measurements, he
continued.
"The bottom line is: neither the country
nor the industry can compromise safety
or cost-effectiveness," he said. "We must
do everything possible to preserve both.
Regulations should not be so overreaching
that they hinder cost-effectiveness, but
neither should they be so lax as to compromise health and safety. API will continue to work with the EPA and the
Obama administration to find a suitable
middle ground for everyone."

Industry Issues
Katie Brown, director of energy and
natural resources for FTI Consultants and
a spokeswoman for Energy in Depth,
gave TOGA a review of the anti-industry
movement since the shale revolution began, and commented on some issues that
were coming under scrutiny.
Since the shale revolution brought the
oil and gas industry more into the public
eye, the industry has come more under
fire from the public, the government and
the media, she stated.
Documentaries Gasland and Gasland
II attempt to show oil and gas companies
mishandling landowners and possible
groundwater contamination. However,
Brown said, these documentaries use selective information to deceive the audience,

164 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

Katie Brown, a spokeswoman for Energy
in Depth, reviews the anti-industry movement's beliefs and strategies since 2005.
Brown informed TOGA about several
forthcoming issues, such as EPA's emissions regulations, local bans and ordinances, and EPA's groundwater study.

and Energy in Depth and its partners
have released fact sheets to "debunk the
misinformation while also releasing its
own documentary, Truthland.
According to Brown, Energy in Depth
also has worked to debunk flawed academic studies on groundwater contamination, citing one such study out of Duke
University. The organization also works
to defend the industry's public health
record, such as by commenting on New
York's rationale for its high-volume hydraulic fracturing ban.
As for issues at the forefront in 2015,
Brown reported EID was tackling several,
including:
* Earthquakes;
* EPA's emissions regulations;
* Local bans and ordinances; and
* EPA's groundwater study.
Brown mentioned claims that earthquakes in Texas and Oklahoma were
linked to injection wells. Context is
crucial, she advised. If the earthquakes
have anything to do with injection wells,
the pertinent factors deal with the well's
depth and pressure, the volumes injected,
and the well's proximity to a fault.
Brown also commented on the findings
of EPA's study regarding hydraulic fracturing's effect on water quality. The fact
that anti-industry activists are downplaying
them is a positive sign for the industry,
she assessed. "EID is confident that the
study's final results either will favor or
be neutral toward the oil and gas industry,"
she commented.
She also offered a big-picture view of
the U.S. oil and gas industry's current

American Oil and Gas Reporter - July 2015

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