Inside Energy (https://insideenergy.org/category/inside-energy-news/page/5/)
While the head of the EPA goes on a tour of 25 states, the agency is rolling back a host of environmental regulations — including trying to delay implementation of Obama-era methane rules at oil and gas wells. Some residents and environmental groups are taking action, concerned that methane leaks lead to poor air quality.
The sage grouse is back in the national discussion. The Department of Interior is loosening rules that protect the western, chicken-sized bird; recommendations include giving states more leniency in enforcing the rules and easing restrictions on land development. The two-year old conservation plan helped the sage grouse avoid an endangered listing under the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Many environmentalists are concerned the changes could spell doom for the vulnerable species.
A key solution to the earthquake crisis in Oklahoma and some other energy states is the long-term management of an enormous amount of oil-field wastewater likely triggering the shaking. The energy industry is working to solve this billion-barrel-a-year problem, and one promising alternative to risky disposal wells is reusing wastewater instead of pumping it underground.
A region in Wyoming has some of the strongest emissions regulation on the oil and gas industry in the country. Companies operating in the Upper Green River Basin are required to reduce air pollutants that lead to ozone. Obama-era methane regulations use the basin’s rules as a model and are now on the verge of enforcement nationwide. With five years of experience under it’s belt, the region can show what works and what doesn’t in reducing its own air emissions.
A changing climate may be bad PR for fossil fuels, but it could help their bottom line. Two major coal companies released earnings reports in late July stating how higher temperatures could mean more energy use, which could ease some coal stockpiles.
Solar energy has had a great decade. One estimate puts the industry’s growth at 1600-percent over the last eight years. The last year though? Not so good, especially for rooftop solar companies. The market for residential solar systems has taken a hit, with bankruptcies abound from the likes of SunEdison, Sungevity, Suniva, and at least one company not starting with “sun” — SolarWorld.
A home went up in flames outside of Denver in April, killing two people. In the aftermath, oil and gas operators have gone out into the field to test their infrastructure, politicians have made promises, and communities continue to worry. Are Front Range residents safe? Inside Energy looks at the numbers.
Millions of gallons of salty wastewater are produced each day wherever there’s oil and gas production. Most states inject wastewater deep underground, but several like Wyoming use above-ground wastewater ponds, too. Regulators now want to make sure the state will not be left scrambling to pay for the pond’s cleanup if companies shutter.
Salty wastewater from oil wells was once dumped into pits dug into farmers’ fields. Over the years, it seeped into neighboring land, rendering it infertile. Decades later, North Dakota’s left wondering how to clean up this toxic legacy.
