Office of Oil and Gas Says No Further Air Pollution Regulation Needed

A provision in the Natural Gas Horizontal Well Control Act directed the  DEP Office of Oil and Gas to study the need for further regulation of  air  pollutants from oil and gas drilling sites.  The OOG finished its report in late June and presented it to an interim committee of the West Virginia Legislature yesterday.  

The important conclusion from the report was that 

Based on a review of several completed air studies to date, including the results from the well pad development monitoring conducted in West Virginia's Brooke, Marion and Wetzel Counties, no additional legislative rules establishing special requirements need to be promulgated at this time.  The existing regulatory framework provides a basis for implementation of requirements to minimize and mitigate human health and environmental impacts. 

The report can be found here, and the cover letter summarizing the conclusions can be found here. 

The report contains three appendices, listing location restrictions, existing air pollution control requirements, and a list of state and federal investigations, completed and ongoing, investigating the effects of  oil and gas drilling.  They could be a useful resource.  

A story about the legislative meeting from Fuel FIx  is found here.