Colorado's tougher clean-air regulations for oil and gas industry are first in U.S. to include methane

Working on a rig. R.J. Sangosti/Post

An air-quality control commission in Colorado on Sunday passed "tougher air pollution rules for the oil-and-gas industry—the first in the nation to cover methane," a more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, Bruce Finley reports for The Denver Post. The rules, which are opposed by many in the industry, "require companies to detect leaks and fix them. They require companies to install devices that capture 95 percent of emissions—both volatile organic compounds and methane." 

"By passing rules aimed at reducing toxic emissions from oil and gas facilities, Colorado officials are trying to allow an energy boom while also protecting health and the environment," Finley writes. "They needed to act because Front Range air already fails to meet federal health standards. The oil-and-gas industry is a growing source of volatile organic compounds that lead to the formation of ozone." Last year four Colorado towns voted to ban fracking.

"Colorado is proving once again that collaboration and compromise help solve important issues facing our state," Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper said in a statement. He said the new rules "will ensure Colorado has the cleanest and safest oil and gas industry in the country and help preserve jobs. All Coloradans deserve a healthy economy and a healthy environment, and we're working to ensure that Colorado continues to have both." (Read more)